New Recruit
by Desert Anwar
Summary: With Sasori dead, Akatsuki becomes interested in his murderer. AkatSaku might make either DeiSaku or PeinSaku
1. Chapter 1

"What's the report?" there was silence in the dark room. A shrouded figure scanned the room and its occupants with his unique, grey eyes.

"Akatsuki no Sasori is dead, yeah." The person spoke hesitantly and slowly, as if he himself couldn't believe it.

"Was it the elder from Suna?" this voice was female, and it came from the figure next to the leader.

"No… it was a medic-nin from Konoha."

"Did you get her name?" The blonde artist thought back for a minute, trying to remember if he heard a name. He remembered the Kyuubi jinchuuriki calling her by her name…was it Rose…? Blossom…? Ah, yes.

"I believe it was Sakura." Another person in the room flinched at the name, and raised his head to reveal the sharingan eyes.

"What do you plan to do about her?" asked the Uchiha. The leader paused in thought before answering.

"We will watch her for now. And if any of you cross her, _do not kill her_."

* * *

It was bright, and the sunlight seeped in through the curtains on the hospital window. A pink-haired girl raised her hand to shield her eyes, and pushed herself up on her free arm. She thought back to why she was there… she remembered fighting Akatsuki no Sasori… A sharp pain in her stomach… she flinched and grasped at her abdomen at that. And there was Elder Chiyo…

She allowed a tear for the wise old woman to fall before a knock came to her door. She quickly wiped it away.

"Come in." the door flew open to reveal a deathly worried Naruto wrapped in loose bandages. He probably demanded to do them himself so he could visit Sakura as fast as he could.

"Sakura-chan!" he walked quickly to her bedside and leaned in close to her face. "Are you alright? Do I need to call Baa-chan? Your stomach must hurt, hang on. Kakashi-sensei! Call Baa-chan so she-!"

Sakura placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, silencing him. "Naruto, I'm fine, really. I actually think I'm okay to walk around." She threw her legs over the bed and pushed herself off, using Naruto for support. She cast a smile in the direction of the Kyuubi host. "See?"

He gave her a disbelieving look when she winced lightly as her muscles in her stomach tightened.

"I'll say it again, Naruto. I'm _fine_."

"Are you sure? Positive?" she smiled at his concern.

"Positive." He didn't seem happy with the idea of her walking around, but reluctantly agreed. He was about to turn and leave when he seemed to remember something.

"Oh yeah, Baa-chan wanted to see you. It's most likely about your battle with that guy. You killed him, right?" she nodded and Naruto gave a grin and a thumbs-up. After he left, Sakura sat back down on the hospital bed, grasping her sore abdomen. She decided to numb the pain with some of her own chakra.

As she tended to her wound, she looked around the familiar room. They were all designed the same way: white walls, a small bed, a nightstand, and a large window with white curtains.

Satisfied that she couldn't feel the hole in her stomach, she got up to pull the curtains on the window apart. She saw Naruto disappearing down the busy road, and smiled.

Sakura took a deep breath and turned away from the window, placing her back against it. She decided she should report the fight with Akatsuki no Sasori to the Hokage before taking her walk.

* * *

"I don't understand why Leader is protecting the girl, yeah." The blonde boy slumped down in a comfortable recliner. "She's just an annoying teenager."

"I don't think he's protecting her." Deidara turned to the blue member of Akatsuki. "He's just the observant kind. Leader wants to see if she might be useful to us." The artist's one visible eye flew open.

"He wants her to _join_? Is he crazy, yeah?! She killed Sasori-danna!" Kisame crossed his arms over his broad chest, and huffed.

"This proves that she was stronger than him, and we all know how strong Sasori was. Plus there's the fact that she's a medic. We don't have one of those, and as much as I hate to admit it, we need one." Deidara pushed himself off of the chair and glared angrily at the shark-man.

"I refuse to believe that _girl_ is stronger than Sasori-danna, yeah."

"Are you saying that girls aren't strong?" Both men turned to see the Leader's partner and only female Akatsuki member, Konan, standing in the doorway of the current base's living room.

"Maybe I am, yeah." Kisame nudged his friend with his elbow, telling him that provoking _this_ girl was a bad idea.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Anyone hungry?" Kisame tried miserably to stop the scuffle before Leader came in.

"Men are just stronger than women. It's _fact_, yeah. Deal with it."

"Fact? Please. Gender doesn't matter. I could kick your ass any day of the week."

"So, what would you guys like to eat? I'll cook." The shark-man smiled when both turned to glare at him.

"Kisame, shut up or I'm making sushi, yeah." He did shut up. He sighed and sat down in the recliner as the two continued their battle of the sexes.

* * *

"Thank you for your report. And I take it that you are feeling better?" Sakura nodded and Hokage smiled. "Good thing, too, because I have another mission for you." The Hokage apprentice did her best not to show her annoyance.

"You are to escort Koji Akahana to Rain. He's a traveling merchant stating he needs an escort due to an attack on his way here. He was lucky that an ANBU squad was patrolling in the area."

"Isn't there anyone else open that could do it? I'm pretty worn out…"

"He asked that you do it." Sakura's eyes flew open. "It seems you've created a reputation for yourself, Sakura." The Hokage smiled at her apprentice. She blushed and asked when she should leave. "Today would be nice."

"_Today_?" Tsunade nodded and told her to meet him at the front gate in an hour. Sakura let out a quiet sigh. "Yes… Tsunade-sama."

She pushed the last article of clothing into her bag and zipped it shut, allowing a heavy sigh to escape her. "Just that and I'm exhausted." She slung her bag over her shoulder and slipped her shoes on. She was dressed in her regular shinobi attire, seeing as it would require a lot of traveling.

Sakura put the key in, and locked the door to her apartment. Turning to leave, she heard a shout come from down the road.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" she stopped and faced the source of the shout, and wasn't surprised to see Naruto running full-speed towards her. He skid to a stop in front of her, causing a dust cloud to rise.

"What's up, Naruto?" she didn't really need to ask; she knew what it was about.

"Why are you going on a mission so soon? I won't stand for that!"

"Naruto, I'm not a child anymore. I can handle a little escort." The Kyuubi host frowned and opened his mouth to complain, but Sakura interrupted him. "I'll be back in two weeks." She was about to turn and leave, when her friend pulled her in for a hug around her shoulders.

"Just be careful, okay?" she hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around his back.

* * *

She was at the front gate and didn't see anyone there waiting for her. She scanned the area many times, but still had the same result. She was about to leave when the thought of it being a cruel joke occurred to her.

"Are you Sakura?" She turned around to see a tall man with bright orange hair and wore a gray shirt and pants, with a black overcoat. He had the large pack slung on his shoulders that showed he was a merchant.

"Yes, that would be me. Are you Akahana-san?" The man smiled a toothy grin.

"No need for formalities, Sakura." She couldn't help it; she had to smile back. He was kind of like Naruto, in a way.

"Koji, then, Well, then, are we ready to go?" He looked down, as if checking to see if he was wearing all his clothes, and then looked over his shoulder to his bag.

"Yep. All good here." Sakura grinned.

"Then let's get going." She said. As he turned to leave, she noticed a black, metal piercing on his left ear.

* * *

_I decided to start another story so I wouldn't get bored with my other one. I plan to make this one pretty long, but hopefully not too long. I really wanna' work on improving my writing, and if you have any advice that might help me, don't hesitate to tell me. This story might be DeiSaku or PeinSaku. I haven't decided yet. If you have any suggestions, put it in a review :) thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Koji, Where are you from? Is Rain your hometown or is it just a trade route?" The orange-haired man slowed his walking as he spoke.

"I'm from Rain."

"Ah, I see." Koji went back to his regular pace, and Sakura couldn't help but stare at the man. His face was perfect- each feature as if carved from smooth marble. His eyes were a strange shade of gray, and despite his somewhat childish behavior, looked as if they held some great wisdom. The orange hair that covered his head spiked out like Naruto's, except Koji's was a bit longer. Her gaze traveled down to his tan neck, and then lower, wondering what he looked like under that coat… wondering if his chest was as muscular as his shoulders…

"Sakura, is something wrong?" She jumped at being caught staring at him like eye-candy, and she mumbled a "no" and looked off in another direction, trying to hide her very deep blush. "May I ask you a question?" Sakura hoped it wasn't about her ogling, but said that he, of course, he could ask his question. "What do you know about… about Akatsuki?"

"Akatsuki…?" Okay, that had definitely caught her off guard.

"Yes. You killed a member, right?" Sakura tried to remain calm while the subject of Konoha's greatest enemy became a small-talk subject.

"Yeah, I guess I did." Sakura finally turned to face him, surprised to find a depressed look in his eyes.

"What do you think of them?" He locked his eyes to Sakura's, and as much as she tried, she couldn't pull away.

"What do I think of them? I'm not sure I quite get what you mean…" Koji averted his gaze, focusing on a particularly large boulder just ahead.

"Never mind… forget I said anything." His bright grin was back in place and he ran ahead to the boulder. "Look how huge this thing is!" Sakura couldn't help but feel drawn to the strange man.

But she couldn't help but think that he had some kind of connection with Akatsuki.

* * *

"Pein…?" Konan poked her head into her partner's study, scanning the room for him. Concluding that he wasn't there, she shut the door and sighed.

"Yo, Blue, What's up with you?" The female Akatsuki member turned her head to see the shark-like man walk up to her.

"Oh, Kisame… Nothing. Have you seen Pein?"

"I'm sure he's just out for a walk like usual."

"I'm not sure. He's been gone an awful long time." Konan started nibbling on her pierced lip, worrying about her childhood friend.

"He must be doing a solo mission. Relax; I'm sure he's fine." The blue-haired girl glanced in Kisame's direction before turning to leave in the opposite direction.

"I sure hope you're right."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set, and the two decided to set up camp for the night. Koji insisted that he build the fire, and Sakura unpack the food. She watched in amusement as he struggled with the matches, and on more than one occasion dropped them. She stopped her giggling, though, when he lit a flame that burnt his hand.

"Ow Ow…!" Sakura quickly scooted over to him to take a look at the hand he held to his chest. He cringed when she pulled it away from him to look at it. It was very red, and it would stay red for a few days if it wasn't treated.

Focusing some chakra into her hand, she placed it on top of Koji's. He watched in awe as a layer of a beautiful green completely covered their hands. His pain receded and the cool feeling of her chakra soothed his whole right arm. She pulled away and smiled. "There, how does that feel?"

"A lot better. Thank you, Sakura." He gave her his toothy grin, and she couldn't help but blush. He was just so darn _cute_!

"It was no problem at all. Burns are easy to heal if you know how to." Koji examined his hand for a moment before asking what else she could do. "Well, I mainly focus on taijutsu and medic ninjutsu, but if I really need it, I can use some pretty useful genjutsu."

"I see…" He seemed to be in thought as he gazed at her. Sakura began to blush under his stare, and asked if something was wrong. "Ah, no, I'm sorry! Haha!" He fell backwards to lie on the grass and look at the stars that were starting to come out. "Beautiful, aren't they?" the kunoichi blushed and nodded, lying down next to him, but not too close as to invade his privacy. They left the food next to the fire, completely forgotten.

"Why did you ask me about Akatsuki earlier?" she asked suddenly. The man's face fell at that, and he paused before answering.

"My sister was killed a few years ago by a member." Sakura flinched at that, and mumbled an apology. "Why would you apologize…" he asked, and turned his head to lock eyes with her once again. "…when you did nothing?" Sakura's eyes saddened and she tried, unsuccessfully, to smile.

"To lose someone so important to you, it must have been terrible. I'm sorry that you had to suffer such a loss. People's loved ones shouldn't have to be taken from them; it's not right. If I lost Naruto or Ino… they're my best friends. I don't think I could go on living knowing that their killer was still alive somewhere out there..." her eyes narrowed at the thought. "If anyone ever took the life of one of my cherished ones, I would kill them without hesitation." Koji's eyes widened and a small smile played across his face.

"Of course." Sakura smiled back, feeling comfortable being able to talk with the young merchant.

"Koji…?"

"Yes, Sakura?" She hesitated for a moment, staring at the metal stud in his ear. He followed her gaze and lifted a hand to rub against his earlobe. A look of panic seemed to wash over him for a moment before he composed himself once again. "Oh, this thing?" Sakura nodded as he continued to fiddle with it. "It's… It was my sister's. She wore earrings like this one pretty often."

"Oh, I see." Koji smiled before lowering his arm to be placed on the ground.

A rustle in the bushes…?

Sakura immediately jumped up in a ready position, kunai in hand. "Wh-What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Sakura ignored the suffix on her name and scanned the area. The sound came from those bushes…

"Koji, stay behind me." The merchant nodded, standing up and looking around nervously.

_This isn't good… my stomach isn't fully healed yet. _Sakura instinctively pulled her kunai closer to her chest, and backed up until she bumped into Koji. _It might just be an ordinary rogue-nin; hell, maybe it's a squirrel. It's _always_ a squirrel._

"Please, _this_ is her, yeah?" A blonde man in a black cloak stepped out of the foliage, and Sakura stared wide-eyed at him.

"Deidara, remember what Leader said!" a blue man with gills on his cheeks ran up to the artist.

"I know what Leader said, but I just want to see if she's the real deal, yeah." His one visible eye met with Sakura's, and it sent shivers down her spine.

"You're the one who killed the Kazekage!" she yelled.

"And you're an annoying bitch with a big forehead. Now that we've stated the obvious, would you mind-"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Sakura flew towards the blonde man, all fear forgotten, but he held his arm ready for an easy block. Right before she made contact with his raised arm, she disappeared and reappeared behind him. She had a chakra-glowing hand held above her head, and he barely missed getting hit full on the back. Her fist grazed his back, but hit him hard higher up. Deidara managed to escape with a dislocated shoulder.

"Damn…" Kisame whistled from the sidelines.

"Would you just shut up and distract her, yeah?!" Kisame sighed and plopped down on the ground.

"As much as I would like to, I'm not going to disobey orders." Deidara let out a frustrated growl as he dodged a volley of blows from the angered kunoichi.

"Kisame, I'm gonna' kill you for this later, yeah!!" Sakura gathered as much chakra as she could into a final punch that landed full on the stomach. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for much needed air.

Sakura stood still for a moment, also gasping for air as she focused chakra into her also sore stomach. (a/n: ironic, no?)

Deidara slipped a hand into his clay pouch and pulled out an already complete bird. With a simple hand-sign, he increased its size and jumped on its back, flying out of Sakura's reach. "You are one crazy bitch, yeah!"

The medic gave the artist a glare that sent shivers down any man's spine. "I dare you…" she started, "…TO INSULT ME ONE MORE TIME!" Koji took a few steps back and swallowed down a lump in his throat. Even Kisame sweat-dropped and scooted back a little from his spot on the ground.

Deidara hesitated for a moment, thinking if he should.

"I _dare_ you." She growled. The blonde remembered his pride and refused to let a little pink-haired medic get to him, even if she did scare the crap out of him.

"Come and get me, _forehead bitch_."

* * *

_Weird how Sakura was the one afraid, and then Deidara was scared to death :D_

_Well, there you go :) the second chapter of my new story! I'm so happy that people already like it! But, sadly, school is coming up and I won't have much time to update :( but- I will try and update as often as I can! Reviews may help ;) (Hint, hint!) Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

"K-Kiba, please slow…s-slow down…!" the dog ninja spun around, telling his comrades to hurry up. "K-Kiba-kun…!" Hinata stopped to rest her hands on her knees, trying to get some air.

"You guys are just too slow!" Shino came up next to the Hyuuga heir.

"You need to realize that we can't run as fast as you and Akamaru. We just got done finishing a mission, so our chakra is still low." He said. Akamaru walked back to Hinata, cocked his head to the side, and rested his head on his paws. She just laughed and patted his head, telling him it was okay.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!" Team eight flinched at the sound, and turned in the direction they heard it.

"Th-That sounded like… S-Sakura-chan…! Sh-She might… b-be in t-trouble!" Kiba nodded.

"Hinata's right. We should check things out!" before he could run off to the scene, Shino spoke up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Kiba growled at his teammate. "…and why not?"

"That didn't sound like a scream of terror. Have you forgotten what type of girl Haruno-san is?" Realization slowly came over the Inuzuka's face as he registered that.

_CRRRAAAAACK! _

The noise came from the direction they had heard Sakura. Kiba backed up, and called Akamaru to his side.

"Who votes we didn't hear anything…?" all three hands and a paw rose in the air. "Glad we all agree."

* * *

"Kyouko Fuukaku: Oni Tsuin-Sentou!" (a/n: strength style: demon twin-punch. Yes, I made this up.) The pink-haired medic gathered her chakra in her feet, and then pushed off with her inhuman strength, towards the blonde Akatsuki. "Ichi…!" Before he could use his own chakra to move the bird, Sakura's right fist came crashing down on the side of his face. She landed on the bird, and pulled back her left fist. "Nii…!" Deidara's one visible widened as her other hand smashed into his other cheek. The artist flew backwards off the bird, and Sakura jumped down from the now-collapsing creature. They fell a good 50 yards before reaching the ground: Sakura on her feet, and Deidara on his back.

Sakura stopped for a minute to catch her breath, and tended to her sore abdomen. She watched the Akatsuki as she fixed up other scratches and cuts that might scar her skin. The blonde boy didn't move, but she knew he was alive. That technique was meant to immobilize the enemy, blocking off brain waves to the rest of the body. The chakra focused in the fists travels up to brain, paralyzing everything it touches without killing the victim… not to mention it hurt like hell.

She glared down at his still state and lowered her voice so only he could hear, "Watch what you call me, you sexist pig." She said those words with malice dripping from her voice, and turned to face the blue Akatsuki member, glare in place.

"I think girls are awesome! Very tough…!" Kisame raised his hands as if to protect his face. He gave her a fake grin as he backed up.

With a very satisfied feeling, Sakura lowered her arms and stared at the fallen Akatsuki member. "Well, Koji, I think this is one less Akatsuki member we have to worry about. Do you remember which one it was that-" Sakura was interrupted by a strong pain on her head, and she fell into unconsciousness.

Behind her stood the young merchant, staring down at her with gray eyes that became ringed. More metal piercings appeared on his face and ears, and he looked to Deidara and Kisame.

"Mission… abduct Haruno Sakura: complete."

* * *

She woke up in a dark room, and by the feel of it, in a bed. Her head pounded for some unknown reason, too.

But she wasn't alone.

Someone else with a strong chakra signature was here. Sakura jumped up on the bed and held her fists in ready position.

"Who's there?" there was silence for a few moments, and she repeated her question with more urgency.

"No need to be afraid, Haruno Sakura." She flinched at the voice. It sounded empty and cold.

"I'm not afraid." She lied. "Who are you?" A light suddenly came on, and she lifted a hand to shield her adjusting eyes.

"Why don't you tell me?" when she could finally see the face of the cloaked person, she gasped.

"Uchiha Itachi…" An empty smirk played on the killer's face. "What do you want from me?" she tried her best not to look into his blood-red eyes, and instead focused on one of the clouds on his cloak.

"I could care less about you. It's what Leader wants." Sakura's eyes widened and she took a step back, making the bed creak.

"Your Leader…?"

"Yes. I believe you've met him." Sakura tried to think back as to when she'd seen the Akatsuki leader, but no memory came to mind. "He wishes to speak with you." Sakura glared at the cloud.

"…and if I refuse?" another smirk played on his face, as if this is what'd he'd been dying to say all along.

"You don't want anything to happen to your dear Kyuubi-boy, now do you?" something inside Sakura snapped at that moment.

"I swear, if you did anything to him…"

"…You'd do what? Remember, you're in the lion's den now. Choose your words wisely, Haruno Sakura." As much as she hated to admit it…

…he was right. She would have to be careful. "Okay…" she said, "I'll see your leader." The Uchiha gave another smirk and opened the door.

"Follow." He ordered.

Sakura stepped off the bed, and raised a hand to hold her head, pushing her little chakra into the wound. She didn't bother to close the door behind her; if they wanted it closed, they would have to do it themselves. Itachi led her down a long, dark hallway. There were gray, metal doors every now and then on the walls, but none seemed to be the leader's domain.

They stopped at the end of the hallway outside a black door, and centered on it was a red cloud. He knocked on it once, and then opened the door for her. "Enter." He commanded. As she walked by him, she sent a glare in his direction, but didn't meet his eyes.

Sakura had expected him to come into the room also, but he closed the door after she entered. The leader's room was also dark, except for the blue glow at the back of the room. It seemed to be a cage of chakra, and there was someone in it that she couldn't quite see. She motioned towards it, slowly and hesitantly. She made out blonde, spiky hair… an orange and black jacket… three lines on each cheek… and a Konoha Hitae-ate….

"Naruto!" she screamed out, lunging for the boy. She yelped as her hands made contact with the cage, and cursed it for being in her way. She focused chakra in her fist and hit it.

It didn't seem to dent or give in any way. All it did was cause severe burns on her hands and knuckles. She realized then that she had left her favorite gloves in Konoha, and cursed again.

"That cage will only open if I will it to." Sakura spun around to see a man illuminated in the blue light. He had piercings all over his face and ears, wore the trademark cloak, and his bright orange hair was similar to Naruto's, except a bit longer. On his forehead was the scratched out Hitae-ate of Rain. His posture was that of a royal, seeing as he didn't slouch. But the thing about him that sent shivers down Sakura's spine were his ringed, gray eyes. "And I, personally, don't feel like opening it anytime soon. He was worried and followed you, and I had some of my men take him out." Everything about him screamed power.

The medic glared at the Akatsuki leader. "Who are you?" the man closed his eyes and smiled a toothy grin. When he opened his eyes, they were the same gray, but without the rings.

"Sakura-chan, you really don't remember me?" he said in a higher voice.

Realization dawned on Sakura as she stared into the familiar eyes. "K-Koji…?" Sakura took a step back. "It was all a lie…"

The leader's face returned to normal. "If you don't want your Kyuubi friend to die, I advise you do what I say." Sakura immediately turned from betrayed to angry.

"Why? You're just going to kill him anyway!" she screamed.

"We don't need the Kyuubi to win." said the Akatsuki, "but you, on the other hand, could be useful to us." Sakura opened her mouth for a smart comeback, but decided against it.

"What…do you want me to do?"

"Isn't it obvious? Join Akatsuki, of course." This didn't take her by surprise. She knew it was building up to something along those lines. She turned her head to stare longingly at her caged friend.

"I'll do it."

* * *

_There we go! I'm not really happy with the way this chapter turned out but I guess its okay… and yes, I made that attack up. It sounded really cool in my head so I thought, "what the heck, its fanfiction." Lol. I hope you enjoyed chapter three, because I might not update until the weekend._

_Oh, and just so you know ahead of time, when I DO write Hidan, he will NOT be dropping the "F" bomb. I'm completely against that word so I'll be bleeping it out. I know that's what makes him Hidan, but I'm uncomfortable writing it. Sorry :)_

_thank you for all the reviews! they are what keep me going!_


	4. Chapter 4

The figures haunted her… she ran, but she didn't go anywhere. She screamed, but no noise came out. She shut her eyes, but she still saw them.

She opened them, but a new image appeared. It was a mother and her child, cowering in the corner of a dark, empty room. Standing next to her was another shrouded figure, but she could make out metal piercings and the slightest hint of orange.

She was then ordered to kill them.

When she refused, a blue light shone from behind her. She slowly turned around, eyes widening as she saw more and more of the blue chakra cage. Her dear friend was inside and awake. He was begging her- pleading. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she gripped her head in pain.

Next to the cage was the leader himself, and in his hand was a kunai. She couldn't move as he easily stepped through the cage to hold her friend by the neck. He lifted the kunai, and again ordered her to kill the mother and her child. She felt a pang of pain in her chest at his words.

She turned back to the two innocent people. She watched with clouded eyes as the mother grabbed her son close to her chest, burying her head in his hair. She grabbed the first weapon she felt in her pouch, which was a shuriken. She lifted it out, and set it in ready position. She tried to ignore the strange feeling of déjà vu… no… she wasn't in the right position for déjà vu… then what…?

The child was rushing in last minute apologies for little things, such as taking the last sweet and lying to his mother. She placed her body in front of her child's, and waited for the blow.

The medic's eyes stung as she stared at the two… an image of her own mother doing the same thing flashed in front of her eyes, and she dropped her weapon and fell to her knees.

"Mom… I'm sorry…! Mom…!" Someone placed a gentle hand on her shoulder but she shook out of its hold. "Mom…! I'm so sorry…!" the pink-haired girls voice rang out higher than the child's.

"Saku-Saku?" she ignored the voice and went on with her cries. "Is Saku-Saku okay? Please wake up, Saku-Saku!" she felt a shove against her shoulder, and Sakura's eyes shot open to see a man in an orange mask looking over her. "Yay! Saku-Saku's awake!"

The pink-haired medic scooted back, and up into a sitting position on the comfortable bed. "WH-WHO ARE YOU?" the strange man cocked his head to the side. Her eyes strayed down to the Akatsuki cloak he wore.

"Tobi's name is Tobi! And you're Saku-Saku!" she stared at Tobi with wide-eyes.

"Saku…Saku…?" for a minute she wondered if it was a trick. No Akatsuki could be _that_ childish.

"Tobi likes nicknames. But Sempai hurts Tobi every time he tries to give him a nickname... Tobi isn't sure why, though…doesn't everyone like nicknames? Tobi does." He tilted his head a little more, as if wanting to hear if she liked nicknames.

"Umm… Tobi?" she started slowly.

"Yes, Saku-Saku-Saku?"

"May I… May I ask you a question…?" the boy nodded eagerly and leaned towards her. "How the hell did you get into Akatsuki…?"

* * *

"Hahahaha! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Pfffft… okay, tell me again what happened??"

"Deidara got his ass kicked by a girl." Kisame smiled while he said it. The blue-haired Akatsuki laughed out loud once again as she looked at the artist's condition.

"It's called _karma_! Ever hear of it?" Konan burst into another giggle fit as the blonde glared menacingly at her. The shark-like man sighed and allowed himself to laugh. He picked up his friend and placed him over his shoulder and carried him to the clinic.

When the two men were out of earshot, the only other female member smiled to herself. "That little girl beat Sasori _and_ Deidara, huh? Interesting…" she laughed again as she recalled the blonde's injuries. "This will be entertaining…"

Sakura planned to stay in her room all day and sulk, but her stomach objected greatly to that. She blushed as her abdomen made strange noises, and she finally gave up and decided to go search for the kitchen.

She left the room quietly, but quickly, and hurried down the hall. She checked every room for the kitchen, but it didn't seem to be any. She kept walking until she made it down to the leader's room. "Definitely not a kitchen…" she muttered. Just when she was turning to go back to her room, she noticed another door next to the larger one. This one blended in with the wall, and was difficult to see. She crept over to it, twisted the knob, and pulled.

Behind it was a fully furnished living room with a going fireplace and television, leather couches and a chestnut oak coffee table. The walls were a whitish tan color, and the wood floors were polished to a shine, even though half the room had a nice rug covering it. There were stairs that led up and out of the room on one of the walls, and for a moment she wondered where it went. She hated to admit it but…

…they had good taste.

There was an opening on the opposite wall that led into a bright room. She mentally cheered when she saw a refrigerator and counter.

"Who the hell are you?" Sakura jumped and turned to the staircase, and her eyes met with beautiful violet ones.

"Isn't proper manners to give your own name before asking for someone else's?" The man scowled as the medic analyzed him. He had beautiful, slicked back silver hair and a perfect face. His violet eyes seemed to glow in the semi-dark room. He wore the trademark Akatsuki cloak that was open a little more in the front then the others. She saw his bare chest and a strange medallion that she didn't recognize.

"Quit your ogling and tell me who the hell you are." Sakura blushed and began to raise her voice.

"I wasn't ogling." He nodded and muttered something that sounded like a "sure, sure."

He seemed to look her over for a minute before taking a step or two away from the stairs and towards her. He didn't seem to notice the figure that limped down the staircase behind him. "You know, you aren't half bad, bitch. Everything about you seems sexy except for your big forehe-" a hand clamped over his mouth before he could say any more.

"Don't go there, man. You _really_ don't wanna' go there…" Deidara used the jashinist for support as he held a hand over his mouth. The silver-haired man was still for a moment before pushing the artist back and wiping off his mouth with both hands.

"That is _sick_! Watch where you stick those things, you bastard!" the mouth on Deidara's hand didn't seem to like it either, and they were trying to spit his taste out.

Sakura couldn't help but think it was funny, and she allowed herself a chuckle. Both Akatsuki paused and stared at her. She just shrugged and went over to the kitchen, not liking both of the Akatsuki's attention.

"What the hell is she doin' now?" the artist was already limping after her.

"Yo, Bi- I mean Sakura!" The pink-haired girl sighed as she shuffled through the cabinets barely finding anything edible. She turned to Deidara and asked what he wanted. "Since you are one of us now, don't you think you should heal this?" he spread his arms out as if trying to emphasize.

Sakura put her finger over her lips in mock thought. "Nah." She turned to the refrigerator and was happy to see several eggs, ham, and cheese. She took those out and pulled a pan down that was hanging on a hook by the stove. "And just for your information, I will _never_ be one of you."

Deidara huffed and pulled out a stool and sat, painfully, on it. "Well, then, I hope you know my forgiveness doesn't come cheap."

"I don't give a damn about your forgiveness!" she snapped. He flinched and scowled, but shut up anyway.

She cracked the eggs into a bowl, and couldn't help but think that maybe she _was_ a bit hard on him… wait- what was she _thinking_? He's _Akatsuki_!

She looked at him through the corner of her eye. He was staring at the granite countertops with his one visible eye, a dazed expression on his face.

"Why do you wear your hair like that?" he snapped out of his trance and looked at the medic.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Doesn't it get in the way in battle?" she looked through a few drawers before pulling out a whisk.

"Not really." The look he gave her seemed to be a permanent scowl.

God… _Some_one holds grudges. But she couldn't really blame him. She _had_ dislocated his shoulder and paralyzed him head to toe.

"Hey…Deidara?" he shot her a glare.

"_What now_?" he snapped. She gave him a glare of her own, but she softened it, which confused the artist.

"Look, you're right. We _are_ kind of a team now, and I don't wanna' put up with your crap the whole time I'm here. I'm not apologizing, but I am going to heal your wounds." Deidara seemed a bit confused by her words. Sakura just sighed and continued making her meal. "Do you want one?" he was quiet for a minute before asking what she was making. "Omelets… don't tell me you've never had one."

"No…" He got up and walked over to the stove and peered down at the simmering egg. He looked back and forth between her and the omelet with a suspicious look on his face.

"It's not poisoned if that's what you're thinking. I don't need poison to kill you." She smirked when he grimaced at the truth of her words. Deidara sighed and went back to his stool.

Outside the door stood an orange-haired man with metal piercings.

'_She's trying to get on good terms with him.' _thought the leader. _'I wonder…'_

He stood there for a minute longer and listened to their voices in the kitchen. He felt a strange pang in his chest as he heard Sakura's bell-like laugh ring out.

'…_jealousy?' _The minute he thought it, he was questioning it.

'_What a stupid thought.'_ and with that, Pein retreated to his quarters.

* * *

Ahh :) all done! I'm still trying to decide if I should make this a PeinSaku or a DeiSaku… heck, maybe even HidaSaku :) help! I need some input! Until I get input it will be a triangle, but I really want it to be one couple…

this is kinda' a filler chapter -_-; sorry...

Thanks a ton for the reviews! Those are what keep me from abandoning this story! *hint, hint* lol :)


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, I've given it some thought, and by the reviews it seems that most of you want PeinSaku. So, guess what? It's gonna' be a PeinSaku. For those of you who didn't want PeinSaku, though, I'll still have the other Akatsuki have moments with Saku-Saku :) but it's mainly gonna' be a PeinSaku :D_

_oh, and just so you know, i didn't double-check it or preview it so sorry for any mistakes : /__Knock, Knock_. Sakura was seated at her small desk in the corner of her room scribbling on a pad of paper she had gotten from Deidara. She set her pencil down and told the person at her door to come in. The door creaked open to reveal a beautiful blue-haired woman. She smiled at Sakura, revealing perfect white teeth.

* * *

"You must be Sakura." She said.

Sakura snorted. "I wonder what gave that away." The female Akatsuki laughed and walked over to the desk. She turned from Sakura to the pad of paper and turned her head to the side questioningly.

"Is that a lover from Konoha?" she gave a small smile. Sakura blushed and covered the paper. "It's really good." She added quickly.

"N-No… I don't have a lover. He's just… I made him up." She lied. Konan nodded and looked away from the pad of paper and back to Sakura.

"There's something I need to show you. Would you come with me?" Sakura sighed, realizing she had nothing better to do. She got up and followed the female member.

They went down the dark hall, into the living room, and up the stairs. It was a short stairway, and when they got to the top, Sakura observed the nice hardwood floor that matched that of the living room's. _It must be a theme_, thought Sakura. There were framed maps of countries and hidden villages on the walls. It was a long hallway, but only about twelve doors, six on each wall, and each with a number on it.

"These are the Akatsuki quarters. Pein assigned you to room 8. Odds are on the left, and evens are on the right. Simple, no?" She smiled as she began walking down the hall. "Tobi is in the first room, which used to be Sasori's… in the second room is Deidara, then Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, Kakuzu, Hidan, and then you." Konan pointed to the room that had an 8 printed near the top. "9 and 10 are empty, but 11 is mine, and 12 is Pein's." Sakura nodded and walked up to her door. She looked back to the other female Akatsuki member asking for permission. She nodded and the medic walked into her new room.

"W-Wow…" Sakura couldn't help but stare. There was a large, king-sized four-poster bed with a brown comforter set on the left side of the large room. She bent down to run her hands through the almost silky brown carpet. There was a desk on the opposite wall, but this one was much bigger than her one in her smaller room. Next to that were closet doors. There was also another door straight ahead that led into what she guessed was the bathroom, and next to that door was a large window with brown curtains that were pulled back to reveal a rainy city. She stared at that for a moment before walking to the bathroom door.

"Do you like it?" asked Konan. Sakura could only turn to her, nod, and smile. She pushed the bathroom door open, and almost squealed when she saw the spring that took up half the room. There were rocks and plants place around it to make it seem more natural. "That's not it." Konan walked in and pressed a button next to the door. The lights went out and then there were flickers of light, and then the image of a moon on the ceiling.

"It's amazing!" gasped Sakura. There was a granite sink with a medicine cabinet over it and a toilet on the other wall, but Sakura paid no mind to it. "I had no idea they even _made_ stuff like this!" the blue-haired woman laughed.

"I'm glad you like it. There are towels and clothes in your closet and bathing supplies in the medicine cabinet. I'll take you shopping for other things you need later. I guess I'll be seeing you later, then." Sakura nodded and turned to the other Akatsuki.

"Thank you… umm… I don't think I caught your name…?"

"It's Konan." Konan smiled and retreated from the room, leaving Sakura to stare in awe at her new living conditions.

"This might not be as bad as I thought it would be…" she mused to herself.

* * *

After her bath, she wrapped a towel around herself and went to her new closet. She pulled out a black tank top and matching shorts (and undergarments), put those on, and stared at the black cloak that hung on the rack. She frowned at it, and let her eyes trail to the ring that lay on one of the higher shelves. She grabbed it and looked at it, reading the kanji. It read "blossom."

She slipped it on her right index finger, and as soon as she did, she wished she didn't.

Her fingernails burned with an unfamiliar chakra, and she could see her fingernails and toenails changing color. They were pink, then purple, then gray, then black. The pain receded and she held her hands close to her chest.

"What was that all about…?" she rasped, still tired from her bath and the recent fingernail jutsu. She decided not to think too much about it, so she pulled on some boots that went to the middle of her calf, and went down to the living room. She stopped, though, at the bottom of the stairs. There, lounging on the couch watching television was the Akatsuki leader himself. She was going to retreat back to her room, but his voice stopped her.

"I take it that Konan showed you your room?" He turned his head to eye her wet hair. Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat before muttering a "yes."

"And I take it that you find your living conditions acceptable?" _Where was he going with this…?_

"More than acceptable." She tried not to sound afraid, but it was hard since goose bumps were appearing on her arms and her voice quavered a little.

"Good." He said, "I do, though, have a mission for you. I would like you to come with me to Konoha." Sakura gasped and her shaking stopped.

"Konoha…? What is there in Konoha…?" The leader was now standing and walking towards her, making every step slow and precise.

"You need to report your mission, remember? You escorted the merchant Koji Akahana to Rain successfully." He smirked when she blushed angrily. "Don't be like that, Sakura-chan. It's not my fault that your little crush turned out to be a criminal."

"I never had a crush on you!" she stomped angrily, balling her fists at her side. He grabbed something out of his pants pocket. She saw that it was a piece of paper and he carefully unfolded it, showing her the picture.

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan?" She snatched her picture of the merchant away from him and shoved it in her own pocket.

"I trusted you…" she growled. He ignored her and continued with the mission.

"We can't let the villages know that there is a new member of Akatsuki. You need to keep your bonds with the village. Say that you're going on vacation to Rain to visit your beloved Koji." He smirked as Sakura yelled out in frustration, storming off up the stairs. "We'll be leaving tomorrow morning." He shouted after her.

He waited until he heard her door slam to plop back onto the couch, smacking himself on the forehead. "Nice one, Pein."

* * *

_There we have it :) sorry that this chapter is mostly description, but I tried to make up for it with a minor PeinSaku moment at the end :) thanks a ton for ALL the reviews! They keep me happy and writing!_

_Oh, and the next chapter will have more AkatSaku moments, okay? Okay! Bye :D_


	6. Chapter 6

"I take it that you are ready to leave?" Sakura glared at the orange-haired Akatsuki in reply. He only smiled and lifted the hand with his ring on it. He told her to mimic his movement, and she did.

She gasped when he took her hand, and both tried to ignore the blush on her face. Before she could ask what in the world he was doing, they were transported to a forest.

She looked around, amazed at the immediate transportation. She was surprised to see that it was familiar to her, and that they were close to Konoha.

"How did you…?" but she couldn't finish. She looked down to her ring, which was glowing a faint blue.

"One of the many advantages of being Akatsuki." Sakura made a face at that. Pein chuckled and made the hand signs for a henge. Her breath hitched in her throat when the appearance of Koji took over the Akatsuki's body. "You go on ahead. After your report, go to your apartment and gather the things you want to keep." Sakura gave a hesitant nod, and sped off to Konoha.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama…?" Sakura peeked into the Hokage's office. "I'm back from my mission." Tsunade glanced at the medic before returning to her paperwork.

"Good job, Sakura. In record time if I might add." A small smile played across the Hokage's lips.

"Shishou… I was wondering if I could, well…" Tsunade set her pen down and sat up to look at her pupil.

"Yes, Sakura…?" the young medic fiddled with the hem of the black shorts she had gotten from the Akatsuki base.

"The fight with Akatsuki really got to me, and I was wondering if I could, well… take a break." Her master stared at her with a blank face.

"You mean a vacation?" she nodded. The Hokage leaned back in her chair and brought her hand to her forehead. "I don't really see why not. Everything is covered in the hospital and I won't have any missions for you in a while." Sakura gave her Shishou a smile and a thank you before turning to leave. She held the door open and stopped.

"Shishou…?"

"Yes?" Sakura gave her Hokage a sad smile.

"Goodbye."

* * *

She had passed Ino, and gave her the same story. She said that she was right, and she deserved a vacation. Sakura only laughed and gave her the same, sad goodbye.

The young medic turned the key, and pushed her apartment door open. Her father had gone missing years ago after her mother died, and now she lived by herself. The thought of her mother stung her eyes, but she ignored it. She opened the door to her room, took her hitae-ate off and set it on her bed, grabbed a bag, and began to fill it up with her favorite things.

Sakura packed the shortsword given to her by Naruto for her birthday, and the sakura hairpins given to her by Ino. She slipped the photo of team seven into her bag, and her favorite medic apron and vest. After pushing in a few more weapons and food recipes for Deidara to try, she zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Aren't you going to take that?" Sakura quickly spun around to see Pein (as Koji) pointing at something behind her. She turned around again to look at the Konoha hitae-ate still on her bed.

"I can't believe I forgot…" she walked over to it and tied it back on. "Thanks…" He shrugged and walked out of the room. Sakura hurried after him, dragging her bag along. "So how did you get in here?"

He gave her an "are you serious?" look, and she blushed. _Duh. He's the Akatsuki leader. I think he can pick a lock._

"We should hurry. I have some business to attend to back at the base." He started walking to the door, but she stopped.

"Can't you just, you know… teleport there?"

"I can only teleport to the areas where I have put the teleportation seals. To establish one here would take a few days." the idea seemed pretty simple, so she just nodded and walked behind him, out of her apartment. When she reached the door, she looked in, sighed, and muttered, "Goodbye" before shutting and locking the door.

* * *

They were long out of the village, and the whole time there was silence. It wasn't really an awkward silence; the sounds of the animals of the forest prevented that. It made Sakura content just listening to it. Her eyes drifted down to the Akatsuki cloak she had been told to wear, and she fiddled with the straw hat on her head.

"Sakura." Her head shot up to look at the mass of orange spikes that was the back of his head.

"Yes?" He seemed to hesitate, and his steps faltered ever so slightly.

"I want you to feel like a true member of this organization." He slowed down enough for me to step beside him, and he looked me in the eyes. "I don't want to force you to do anything, but I will if I must."

_Is he trying to comfort me…? Psh… yeah, right… It's a trick._

"I don't want to be a true member. All I want is for you to release Naruto and let us leave." He gave a slight glare, but she mustered up her courage to give a glare of her own.

"How could I? I'm the big, bad Akatsuki leader, remember?" his voice dripped with sarcasm, and he turned his head away, but she growled and stepped in front of him, causing them both to stop.

"I don't give a damn about your status in the shinobi world. You're just another person to me, a person who threatens others using their friends, which isn't even worthy of calling a person." She tried to restrain her upcoming eruption, but it was proving to be difficult for her.

The glare he gave her told her he was thinking murderous thoughts, but she ignored it and turned to walk. He grabbed her by the arm and twisted it behind her back, restraining her movement.

"Look here, Sa-ku-ra-chan…" he tightened his grip and Sakura flinched. "I don't want to have any problems with you, got that? You should be afraid- cowering from my very presence. The only reason you are still alive is because of my word. Your life is in my hands- remember that." He pushed her forward, releasing his grip. She held her sore arm to her chest, but didn't walk.

"I'm not afraid of you." She stood her ground and raised her chin.

"You should be." He hissed. Pein rushed by her, bumping his shoulder roughly past hers. "This is why Konan is the only female Akatsuki…"

"Well, sorry to disappoint!" He ignored her and continued his pace. She stomped after him, mumbling hateful words under her breath.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt a sharp pain in her side. She turned her head to see an ANBU captain holding a kunai in her side, and thrusting another one in the direction of her neck.

Instinctively, she shut her eyes, but nothing happened.

Sakura slowly opened them to see a bloody hand holding the ANBU's fist with the kunai, and he began crushing it, causing the man to groan in pain.

"It… It can't be…" another ANBU appeared, and then another.

The orange-haired man glared at every one, making each take a step back in fear. "Bastards, you'll pay for that."

"…Th-the _leader_… Akatsuki no Pein…"

* * *

_Sorry for the late update. I've been super busy :( but don't worry; I haven't given up on this. It's way too early for that, anyway :D Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and subscriptions, guys! It really means a lot to me!_

_I feel like I did really, really bad on this chapter… I'm sorry if it was a disappointment. I don't mean for it to be._


	7. Chapter 7

_Yeah… I have no excuses to how late this is. Sorry :(_

* * *

"It… It can't be…" another ANBU appeared, and then another.

The orange-haired man glared at every one, making each take a step back in fear. "Bastards, you'll pay for that."

"…Th-the leader… Akatsuki no Pein…"

He… protected her…?

Sakura stared with a mix of shock and confusion. She heard Pein mutter something, and the man was blown back. She gasped when he crashed into a tree.

"How did you…?" She slowly lifted a finger to point at the unconscious man.

"No time. Get ready to fight." On command, she got in a ready position.

She jumped away just in time to dodge a few well-aimed senbon, and to counter with a kunai of her own. She missed the ANBU's head, but hit them in the shoulder. When she landed on the ground again, she counted the enemies. Five, six, seven… twelve, thirteen… they just kept coming!

Most of them surrounded Pein, but they kept flying back from the unknown force. More and more ANBU platoons were rushing in, and they would divide between Pein and herself. Some of them moved in for taijutsu against her, but she easily dodged and sent them bashing into nearby trees.

"How are you holding up?" Pein called from his spot in the clearing.

"Just… fine…!" Sakura grabbed a fist of one of the ANBU and pulled it in, smashing her own against their mask. She was glad that she didn't recognize the face behind it, and moved on to the next one. "How long do you expect us to keep this up?!" Sakura was getting more pumped up with every blow, and she could feel the adrenaline controlling her movements.

"We should retreat." The assailants had obviously heard their conversation, and wouldn't let the Akatsuki get near each other. Sakura focused chakra in her feet and pushed off towards the orange-haired man. "We're gonna' have a small change of plans." He smirked before pushing a mass of ANBU into trees and dashing off. Sakura quickly followed behind.

* * *

"Why the hell did they attack?! They can just wait until I tell Tsunade-sama about their recklessness! They could've died!" The two Akatsuki were making their way into very small village miles away from their battlefield. With a very clever jutsu of Pein's, they were able to easily lose the followers.

"Hn." Pein was watching her with an amused smirk in place. She lightly blushed and looked away.

"So… what are we doing now, anyway?" The Akatsuki leader paused for a moment to make a quick hand sign. He was quiet and it looked like he was focusing, so the kunoichi didn't dare ask what he was doing.

"Deidara will pick us up tomorrow." He dropped his hands and continued walking to the local inn.

"A communication jutsu…?" He nodded and opened the door of the building. They had turned their cloaks turned inside out before coming into the village as a precaution.

After getting their room keys they headed out into the village. The villagers watched them with curious eyes and the two couldn't help but laugh a little at it. They stopped at a bench to take a rest. Pein set his wounded hand on his leg and hunched forward, breathing a little heavier than normal.

"Would you like me to take a look at your hand?" asked the medic-nin.

"It's fine." He pulled it into his sleeve, not letting her touch it.

"I have to thank you some way." She reached once again for his hand, but he wasn't having it.

"Now, what use would to be to us if you were dead?" She scowled at him, but grabbed his hand while his guard was lowered. As she quickly applied the healing chakra, the man sighed and gave in.

"Thank you."

"Hn." She almost laughed at his stubbornness. Pein's eyes wandered as she worked on his hand, and he couldn't help but notice the sake stand not too far away. He smirked as an idea formed in his head.

"Wait here a minute." He quickly got up and walked over to the stand, leaving a confused Sakura behind. When he came back with a bottle, she quickly jumped up and waved her hands in front of her face.

"I-I don't drink." She stuttered out.

"But I have to thank you some way." Sakura paused… those words sounded awfully familiar.

"No." she crossed her arms over her chest and turned away.

"I haven't had a drink in ages…" she looked back to see him pouting, and she blushed at how cute he looked.

"…"

"Please, Sakura-chan?"

"…"

"Oh, come on, you know you want to."

"…"

"I'll be your best friend."

"…"

"I'll love you forever and ever."

"If you stop with the weirdo promises I'll have one glass." He smiled victoriously.

"Deal."

* * *

"And then I said, 'what the hell- I don't have to take this from you, Sasuke-kun. I'm a strong, independent woman that could whip your ass any friggin' day of the week.'" Sakura laughed hysterically as if she'd told the most hilarious joke in the world. Pein set down his sake glass and crossed his arms, obviously amused.

"Sasuke, huh?" he couldn't help the big grin that made up his face, even if there was a slight pang of jealousy eating at him.

"Totally… except that didn't really happen. But that shoulda' happened!" she pointed a finger at the Akatsuki leader.

"I see." Sakura muttered a "yeah" and took another swig of her sake. Things were quiet for a moment, and Pein watched as Sakura stared at him.

"You're pretty hot, you know that?" Pein nearly choked on his alcohol.

"WH-What?"

"What?" Sakura started looking around, as if to try and find who was talking.

"I'm pretty what?"

"You're pretty?" Sakura pondered that a moment before nodding. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess you are kinda' pretty." Sakura gave another hysterical laugh before collapsing onto the other Akatsuki's lap. Pein watched as her breathing evened out and she got comfortable.

When he thought she was asleep, he started playing with her pink hair, enjoying the feel of it between his fingers.

"You smell good…" muttered the medic.

"Thank you." He laughed.

"Can I tell you something…?" Sakura yawned on the last part. She didn't wait for him to approve, but instead went on with her talking. "I like you…" she left a shocked Pein quiet and frozen as she went peacefully to sleep.

After a while, he continued playing with her hair, and when he knew she was asleep, he picked her up and placed her in the bed of the room they were in. He pulled the sheets up to her chin and chuckled at her peaceful state. "Now I know why you don't drink… but it was entertaining if I do say so myself..." He whispered. "..And pretty flattering." He blushed a little when he recalled all the things she said to him.

His legs were aching, and he didn't really feel like walking over to his room. They were queen-sized beds anyway.

Pein slid onto the bed next to the pink-haired medic and smiled when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, not letting go.

"Note: buy more booze."

* * *

_Yeah, I couldn't help it… PeinSaku + booze = awesomeness :D_

_So very sorry for the late update, not to mention I adore but absolutely HATE this chapter at the same time… it's kinda' stupid but funny at the same time… oh well. Just so you know, I haven't given up on this story :)_

_Bye bye! R&R!_


	8. Chapter 8

First things first: she had a migraine. Her head was killing her, and she had no idea why. It felt as if she was laying on something soft… a bed, perhaps? Yes… most likely that. And something else that was warm. Wait… she was cuddled up against something other than a bed. It was firm, but warm... a person?

An extra painful _pang_ in her head drove out other thoughts, but couldn't help but think how a cup of coffee sounded really nice… What did she ever do to _deserve_ such a punishment? What _was_ this awful torture? Finally, the word came to her.

Hangover.

"Damn you, Pein…" she muttered, still half asleep. "This is all… your fault…" she opened her eyes slowly to see the warm object she was cuddling with. A shirt…? She lightly touched it, and she could tell that there was definitely someone in that shirt. Someone with a nice body, too. Someone who's strong arm was wrapped around her waist.

Her head was lying on their chest, and she slowly tried to lift it up, failing epically. She decided that sliding it would be less painful.

"…the _hell_?" her eyes landed on the person's face… the person's _pierced_ face.

Sakura immediately jumped up, ignoring her headache, and fell off the bed. There was a loud thump when she hit the floor, and there was also another sharp _pang_ in her head. _Great_, just _great_.

She groaned as she tried to pull herself up, setting her head on the edge of the bed, looking at the now awake Akatsuki leader. He was sitting up, and was watching her with a sleepy frown.

"Sorry, Sleeping Beauty, you can go back to bed," she said. He gave her a grimace before letting his head plop down on the bed. "Wait, why are you even in my bed to begin with?" he mumbled something she couldn't quite hear. "What was that?" he spoke a little louder, but it was still a mumble. "Still can't hear you."

"I didn't wanna' go back to my room." He finally said loud enough for Sakura to hear. She just sighed and walked to the bathroom door.

"Lazy…" he ignored her and went back to sleep. When she got in the bathroom, she shut the door behind her and put her back against it.

What the hell was she _doing_? She was getting way too comfortable with the enemy. They were friggin' _drinking_ _buddies_! She _slept_ with the leader of the infamous Akatsuki! He had saved her life, and they had fought side by side with one another. They _joked_ with one another! And the worst part was…

She… She _liked_ the closeness.

Sakura was shocked at the truth of it. Why would she like closeness with someone who took her dearest friend? She was no doubt attracted to the dangerous man.

Duh… because she was lonely. Naruto was the only friggin' guy she ever hung out with. Sure, there was Kakashi, but teachers don't count. Was she waiting for Sasuke? No… she gave up on him as a potential lover long ago.

So was it just a new _guy_? Was she just interested because she was spending time with a man other than Naruto?

Yes… that must be it.

Stupid hormones…

"What's taking you so long…? I have to pee…"

…

Yes… they were getting _way_ too close.

* * *

They had been travelling for a while before Pein had stopped them in the middle of a clearing in the woods. Sakura knew the drill, and raised her hand in front of her face. Pein took hers, and immediately they were transported back to the base.

They were in the living room, almost as if they had never left. Sakura was almost too eager to run upstairs and into her nice, personal spa.

"Sakura, great you're back!" Deidara poked his head out of the kitchen door. "Hidan requires your assistance." Sakura mentally groaned. _There goes my relaxation…_ She reluctantly followed the artist into the kitchen.

"OH DEAR GOD!" Hidan's head was lying on the counter, while his decapitated body sat upright in one of the table chairs.

"Yeah, Kakuzu got a little pissed and refuses to fix him." stated Deidara, quite casually.

"Right when I get my head back on, I'm gonna' give that ass-tard a piece of my mind!" shouted the silver-haired head.

Pein came in and stood next to the disturbed girl, chuckling a little at her reaction.

"You... You spiked my tea this morning, didn't you?" she asked Pain, a little uneasy. "Yeah… Yeah, that must be it…" She staggered towards the head and stared at it, hand outstretched and ready to grab it.

"Let's just get this over with. Hurry up, I don't bite." Hidan rolled his eyes, and Sakura's stomach gave a small lurch.

_Sakura, you're just drunk. Hidan's head isn't _really_ on the table. Pein just got you a little liquored up and now you're hallucinating. _Sakura took a deep breath and lifted the head by the hair off the counter. _Right… I'm drunk. Wait a minute… how come I can think clearly? _Sakura set the man's head on his neck, holding it firmly by the hair. She twisted it until the veins lined up and then she sent her chakra into the massive wound. _Or maybe I just _think_ I'm thinking clearly._ _I won't remember this later. It'll be part of the hangover. I'll wake up saying something like, 'Damn, that was the weirdest dream ever!' and then I'll fix myself some coffee and maybe a bagel. Mmmm… bagels._

"There." Hidan's head was once again attached to his head. "Don't move it around too much… it should be sore."

"Yeah, yeah… I'm hungry; do we have anything to eat?" Sakura couldn't help but be surprised that he acted like this happened on a regular basis. "There's nothing in here! It's all crap! Who did the shopping?"

"You did." Pein took a sip out of a glass of water he must've gotten for himself while Hidan was being treated.

"Oh… well, damn." Hidan shut the refrigerator door with so much force that it rattled the cabinets. Sakura took a hesitant step towards the fridge.

"I may be able to make something." She opened the fridge and looked around. "How about curry?"

All three Akatsuki looked at her strangely. "You mean, like, a family dinner?" asked Deidara with a smirk on his face.

Sakura blushed. "No, I just meant, well… cooking for everyone. Just think of it as an appreciation for making my stay more pleasant than it could've been."

The medic looked at everyone's faces, and was surprised to see a smile on every one of them, including Hidan. "I think a dinner together is a great idea." said Pein. "While we wait, why don't you get Itachi and Kisame, Deidara? Hidan, you can fetch Kakuzu and Konan. I'll go and track down Zetsu." As Deidara and Hidan left the room, Sakura made preparations for a curry dinner for nine.

"Sakura?" the medic turned away from the open cabinet to look at the remaining Akatsuki member.

"Yeah?" she went back to looking for the curry powder when he continued.

"Thank you." Sakura froze for a split moment, and when she turned to see him, he was gone.

* * *

_AHHH, another chapter done. I'm so sorry this is late :( I just haven't been in the fanfiction mood… but- your reviews keep me inspired :D and for you loyal readers and reviewers out there- I LOVE YOU!_

_Of course I didn't forget you DeiSaku lovers ;) there will be moments for them, just you wait!_


	9. Chapter 9

"Let's see… rice? Check. Curry powder…? Check." Sakura placed the things she needed for the dinner on the counter of the Akatsuki base kitchen. "Now… Where's the rice cooker?" She searched the cabinets for the essential for steaming rice. When she did find it, though, it was in the top cabinet, and far out of her reach. "Damn…" she muttered, standing on her tip-toes and reaching for the rice cooker.

She froze, though, when someone's toned chest pressed against her back and reached over her head for the pot. The heat rushed to the medics face when she realized how warm this person's chest happened to be. "You need this, yeah?" The person backed away with the pot held over his head as to not hit the pink-haired girl. She turned around to see the blonde artist with a wide smile on his face.

"Uh..." Why was she blushing so damn much?! "Um…Yeah-- Yes. Thanks." She grabbed the rice cooker from him and took it to the sink to fill it up. He looked slightly confused, but ignored it and sat at the kitchen table. "Weren't you supposed to be retrieving some S-Rank criminals for dinner?"

He only chuckled and said, "They'll be down when they smell the food."

Sakura smiled, and continued making the meal in silence while the artist watched her every move. She tried to ignore him, but the blush on her face wouldn't go away. "So…" he started, jolting Sakura out of her thoughts. "Do you have a lot of experience in cooking?" She only chuckled at that, leaving the man confused once again.

"Sorta. Ever since my mom died, I've been cooking for myself."

"What about your dad? Doesn't he cook?"

Sakura slowly turned her head towards the man, giving him a small smile. "My dad disappeared a long time ago while on a mission."

"Oh…" Deidara scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I didn't know."

Sakura quickly waved her hands, as if to tell him to forget it. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Just because he disappeared doesn't mean he's dead, right?" She smiled and returned to her work, not wanting to hear Deidara's reply to that.

He didn't say anything, but only sat in silence and watched the medic cook their dinner.

* * *

Everyone had gathered in the rather large kitchen, and was taking a seat at the table. Some preferred to stand, though, like Itachi and Zetsu.

Sakura tried to retrieve some dinner plates in one of the lower cabinets, but Pein had insisted that he do it himself. She thanked him for that, and she went back to her preparations for the meal.

"Well," everyone got quiet as the medic spoke. "It's done. Grab a plate, get some curry, and pray that it's edible." Deidara, Kisame, and Hidan chuckled and were fighting to be first in line. Everyone else hesitantly got in line, not used to this routine. Sakura noticed that Zetsu hadn't moved from his spot.

"You don't like curry?" she asked him.

"Not particularly," he said. "_I'm more of a steak person._" He stated in a completely different voice. Sakura shivered at the way he said it, and he was staring at her like _she_ was the dinner. She averted her gaze and looked back to the others. They had seated themselves around the table, and were beginning to eat.

"Oh my $#%ing Jashin." Hidan froze.

Sakura immediately got him a glass of water, apologizing over and over again. "Is it too hot? Too spicy? Too _mild_? I'm sorry; here's some water!"

"What are you babbling on about?" the Jashinist pushed the glass of water away. "This is hella' great! 'Been a long time since I've had real food around this dump."

Everyone else seemed to agree. Itachi ate in silence, and the medic could've sworn she saw a smile of approval on his face. Konan was eating happily, nodding vigorously in her direction. Hidan, Kisame, and Deidara were pigging out as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. Kakuzu ate quietly, but he ate all of it so he must've liked it. Pein was in mid-chew when he winked at her, causing her to blush.

"I'm glad you guys like it." She smiled sweetly at the group of ninja, which went unseen as everyone was focusing on their food.

Sakura could hardly believe that these were the same people that killed innocents, and attacked entire villages for no apparent reason. She could hardly believe that she enjoyed these people's company, and that it somewhat gave her peace.

"Tobi can't believe his friends!!!" The masked Akatsuki was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, sounding as if he was crying. "Tobi goes for a walk for _one hour _and his friends throw a party and don't invite Tobi!!!" Sakura chuckled, grabbed him a plate and curry, and handed it to him, which quieted his sobbing.

"Sakura is sorry for forgetting Tobi—er, I mean, I'm sorry for forgetting you." Tobi cheered happily, and ran out of the room with his food in hand. "Um… Where'd he go?"

"Probably to eat, yeah… He doesn't take off his mask for anyone." Deidara was leaning back in his seat, rubbing his bloated belly. "Ahh, that was nice. We really need to do this more often, yeah." There were nods from Hidan, Pein, Konan, and Kisame, but the others simply left the room.

"Damn, Sakura. I didn't know you were the domestic type." Kisame sent her a flirty smirk, which caused Pein and Deidara to tense up a bit. Sakura merely blushed, chuckled, and walked over to the kitchen entry.

"Wait--who's cleaning this up?" Hidan looked around the now messy kitchen.

"Why, isn't it obvious? You are, of course. The rule is that the cook doesn't have to clean. And we couldn't possibly leave this place looking like this, now could we?"

"I agree with Sakura whole-heartedly. You guys should definitely clean this up." The three guys gaped at the two ninja who were leaving them to clean.

"Leader-sama…! That's not fair!" groaned Kisame. "This sucks…"

"Well, life's a bitch and then you die." Pein smiled happily while he walked out of the kitchen. Sakura followed him, leaving the three men groaning about having to clean. "One of the many advantages to being the leader."

"I think you're just being lazy." giggled Sakura.

"I wouldn't consider it laziness." He smirked in her direction. "It's more of conserving energy for a time when I'd really need it. There _are_ a lot of hunter-nin out there looking for me."

_He doesn't seem like a wanted criminal when he talks like this…_ thought Sakura, smiling slightly.

"Well, I think I'm gonna take a nice, long, hot bath…" She stretched her arms above her head, yawning, "…and _then_ I'm gonna hit the sack."

Pein only laughed at her sleepiness. "You go and do that. G'night, my little cherry blossom." She blushed at the nickname, but ignored it and walked towards the steps leading to the bedrooms. "Oh, and by the way, Sakura…" she turned to face the leader of Akatsuki, her eyelids drooping. "Come to my office tomorrow morning. I'd like to speak with you about your next assignment." She mentally groaned, and trudged up the steps.

_Another mission already…? This is gonna suck…_ Sakura opened the door to her room and plopped down on her bed. _If I take a bath now, I'll only fall asleep and drown…_ she yawned for emphasis.

She rolled onto her side, and her thoughts directed to what Pein had said. A mission… his office… _Naruto_…

She frowned at that thought. She missed her friend so much that it hurt. She missed his bright orange jumpsuit, his toothy grin, his bright blue eyes, his sincere voice that she loved to hear when she was upset, and even his perverted ways.

But what hurt even more was that the she was on friendly terms with his capturers. The people she had just served dinner to minutes before and _enjoyed_ _it_ had taken her best friend hostage and _threatened_ her to join their evil organization.

She closed her eyes, promising to herself that she would get Naruto back.

_Damn it, Sakura… What are you _doing_?_

* * *

_Well, there you have it. Chapter 9 of New Recruit. (And no, I don't really know how to make Curry Rice. I sorta stole that from Harvest Moon)_

_I am so very sorry that this is late :( I feel terrible for making you wait so long… I can't really say that I have an excuse (which I don't) seeing that I was on winter vacation and all... I'm sorry :( I hope this chapter makes up for it in some way!_

_Well—on happier terms :) I hope you liked this chapter! It's quite an interesting mental picture: the Akatsuki having a curry diner together XD_

_I swear this story has a plot! I'm getting to it- honest!_

_Lol don't forget to R&R! I love you guys! Bye~!_


	10. Chapter 10

Sakura knocked three times on the door of Pein's office. When she heard his reply, she slowly opened the door, and entered.

She had expected to see Naruto's chakra cage in the room, but it was nowhere to be seen. The only thing in the room was a large desk in the center with the Akatsuki leader seated behind it. He didn't look up at her when she came in.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Sakura jumped at the voice; she quickly turned around to come face to face with the man that spoke.

"Like I would tell _you_ anything…." She gave a false smile to the Jashin worshipper.

"Please, you two…. I didn't call you here to fight." Pein stood up from his seat at the desk. "I called you here to discuss your mission." Sakura and Hidan looked at each other, confusion written on their faces.

"His or mine?" asked the medic.

"Both of yours." Pein smiled at the shocked expressions.

"Are you kidding me? She's not my partner!" Hidan raised his voice, causing Sakura to flinch and cover her ears.

"I'm assigning the both of you an assassination," continued Pein, obviously used to the Jashinist's arguments, "Normally I would send just Hidan, but do to your impeccable chakra control and knowledge of the human body, Sakura, I believe that you would make an excellent assassin. I've called Hidan here to help you with that."

Sakura felt her stomach drop.

They wanted _her_ to carry out an assassination? Why couldn't they just send the bumbling undead idiot to do it? "Pein, er… _Leader_," started Sakura.

"Pein is fine." He said.

"Who exactly is it that I'm… _we're_ assigned to assassinate?" she inquired, afraid it might be someone she knew.

"Taro Nagataka. He's a missing-nin that is causing trouble for the organization. He attacked many of our shipments- stealing what he could use and burning the rest." He handed her a piece of paper with a man's profile on it. "He can be found somewhere around Takigakure. He's constantly moving."

Sakura sighed in relief. So it wasn't someone she knew after all. To make it easier for her, he was even a missing-nin.

"Sakura," she raised her eyes to lock them with the Akatsuki leader's, which seemed highly concerned, "This man is known for using his genjutsu to seduce female shinobi. I want you to be cautious." Sakura nodded, a small smile creeping over her face. Was he _worried_ about her?

"Yeah, Leader, I'm not here at all. No, no, go on and ignore me. I don't give a damn." Sakura and Pein turned their attention to the forgotten Akatsuki member. Hidan mumbled some curses (a/n: that can't be repeated here) and walked towards the door. "What the hell? Are you just gonna' stand there? Hurry it up!" Sakura just rolled her eyes and turned back to the leader.

"When should we leave?" he told her that an hour seemed like a reasonable departure time, but no less than two. The pink-haired girl nodded, and turned towards the door.

"…and, Sakura?" She turned her head to meet with pleading eyes. "Remember what I said."

* * *

Sakura took at deep breath as they crossed the Rain border into Grass. She twirled one of the white tassels that hung from her straw hat, eyeing the area for ANBU. The thought of her face being seen sent chills down her spine. She could see it- her own page in the bingo book. What would Tsunade say?

She thought she could feel someone's chakra in the area, but every time she said something about it, Hidan would tell her to shut up.

"For Jashin's sake, keep your chakra low! All of your stupid anxiety is causing it to spike like crazy! Don't you know anything?" The medic narrowed her eyes at the silver-haired immortal walking in front of her. He had done nothing but insult her since they left the base. "…Some chakra control. Psh." Angry, Sakura gathered chakra in her right pointer and middle fingers, and then used it to press the sensitive spot on his shoulder, causing his knees to give out and for him to fall. "What the hell was that for?! Don't use jutsu on me unless you want your pretty little head separated from your neck!!"

She didn't help him up. Instead, she walked ahead of him. "It's a pressure point, idiot, not a jutsu."

Everything froze when she felt a spike of chakra to her right- one that Hidan had not sensed. She quickly grabbed a kunai from the pouch on her leg and threw it.

"Hey, watch where you throw that, yeah!" Deidara stumbled out of the tall grass, holding the kunai a few inches away from his face. "Do I _look_ like an ANBU to you?!"

"What are you doing here?" Sakura blushed slightly, remembering their last encounter.

Hidan looked just as surprised to see the artist as she was. "What's the deal?"

Deidara turned around so neither shinobi could see his face. "Having you guys together is dangerous, yeah. I was worried."

Sakura felt her face heat up was he said those words. "That's sweet, Deidara, but I can take care of myself. Really, I can." The blonde turned around, confusion written on his face.

"I wasn't talking about you. I'm here to check on Hidan, yeah." Sakura felt her eye twitch before she punched the artist in the gut.

"Are you saying I'm dangerous? I wouldn't hurt anyone!" the kunoichi's face was an angry red, and she was clenching her hands in fists.

"This is exactly why I don't want to leave you with a friend of mine!" Deidara choked, and he grasped at his bruised stomach. "What the hell happened to being a team, yeah?!"

Sakura ignored him, turning to a highly amused Hidan. "We're leaving."

"Haha…! This is… what? …the _second_ time you've gotten your ass kicked by her?! Oh, Jashin, I think I'm in love!" Hidan followed the girl, clutching his abdomen in laughter.

Sakura sent him an angry "shut the hell up" glare, so Hidan did just that.

"W-Wait…! You can't just leave me like _this_, yeah!" he gestured to his wounded stomach. "What if ANBU come?" the medic paused briefly just to answer him.

"If you're an Akatsuki, then you can brush that off and go back to the base. If you're a candy-ass, then, well… you're screwed." The pink-haired kunoichi turned her head just enough to where green eyes met blue. "Take your pick."

* * *

"Do you think I was too hard on him?" It was probably the seventh time she had asked him, and it was causing Hidan to become annoyed.

"In my personal opinion, you should've hit him harder." He turned to face the girl, eyebrows narrowed but a smirk on his face. "Chill- You'll talk your own damn mouth off if you keep that up."

Sakura looked up at the nighttime stars in thought as the heat from their campfire fanned over her face. She didn't reply to the Jashinist, but instead thought about more important things.

Like how she was going to free Naruto.

She calculated the odds of her being able to get the Akatsuki leader alone, sedated, tied up, and forced to release the jutsu. She groaned and put her head in her hands at the stupid thought. She peered at the grass below her through her fingers. Could she find the cage and dispel the jutsu herself? When she had seen him in his cage before, the only thing she had thought at the moment was brute force. She hadn't thought of a strategy of some sort.

When Hidan announced that he was going to bed, Sakura only nodded and stated that she would go to bed too. As she lied on her sleeping bag, she stared at the flame of the fire. She smiled as it reminded her of the fiery blonde- how he was always so hyper and active.

She could feel the weight of her eyelids pulling her eyes shut, and she didn't fight it. She fell asleep to the thought of her friend and the crackle of the fire.

* * *

Sakura woke with a start at the sound of an earsplitting scream. She was surprised when she saw the writhing of the silver-haired man in his sleeping bag, yelling out for someone to help him. She quickly threw her cover off and rushed over to Hidan's side. Shaking him awake by the shoulder, she tried to make soothing sounds to quiet him, but he wouldn't wake. She prayed he would, for the screams that ripped through his throat like jagged knives made her shiver in fear.

'What's gotten into him?' thought Sakura, still trying to rouse the sleeping Akatsuki member.

The man sat up, still writhing about. "Hidan! Hidan, wake up!" after stirring a few more moments, his eyes snapped open. Everything was quiet for a few minutes besides his heavy panting. His eyes were wide open in shock, and he was sweating head to toe. Sakura, who tried not to stare at his bare and muscled chest, was still holding him by the shoulders. She tried to look into his eyes for some sort of answer.

"I…" he spoke slowly, "I…What the hell happened…? One minute I was… then…." He stumbled forward a bit and grabbed onto Sakura's arms for balance. "Something isn't right…"

"What do you mean?" She hated the guy, really she did, but she couldn't help the worry plastered over her features.

"Look, how the hell should I know? That…_dream_… I just… it didn't feel right, that's all." He withdrew his arms and stood up, earning him a slight glare from the medic.

"Hidan, please tell me what's wrong. Those screams…they weren't normal. What the hell did you see that terrified you that much?" she reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, but he just brushed it off.

"I…I don't _know_, okay?" he grabbed his head with both hands, still shaking. "This has never happened before…"

Both shinobi stood in silence for what seemed like hours. With each passing moment, Sakura resisted the growing urge to reach out and hold the Jashin worshipper.

"Hidan," she finally spoke, causing him to jump, "just relax. Talk to me."

Still grasping his head, he slowly turned around. His usually slicked back hair was messy and clinging to his sweaty forehead. "Why the hell do you care? What reason do you have to care about a killer like me?!" his eyebrows narrowed at his own words.

Sakura didn't have to say anything. When her eyes met his piercing violet, he knew.

It was her compassion for all living things- sinners or saints.

With a sigh of resignation, he lowered his hands from his head and took a few steps toward her, sitting down a good two feet away from her by the dying fire. She copied his actions, and soon she was seated by him, ready to be his listener.

After a few moments of a staring contest, Hidan began to tell her of his abnormal nightmare.

* * *

_I am SO sorry this took so long :( My only excuse is that I'm preparing for high school, and I don't have a lot of free time. I'm sorry… But I did try to make this chapter a little longer than my usual ones :) …even if it IS still a little short… Well, please R&R, that's what ya'll know I love most ;)_

_I'm sorry if Hidan seems a little OOC in this chapter and the next. It's kinda hard to be heart to heart when you're dropping the F-bomb every sentence. I hope you enjoyed chapter 10 of __New Recruit__!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Soooo sorry for the late update... I can't believe I almost forgot about this story 0_o if I didn't get the reviews in my email I probably would've never finished this… I'm so sorry :( I'll work harder next time! I hope yall didn't get sick of this story yet! (A little Hidan OOCness, but its fanfiction so I don't think it's that big a deal :) thanks! R&R!)_

* * *

After a few moments of a staring contest, Hidan began to tell her of his abnormal nightmare.

"A long time ago, I lived in Yugakure with my mother. We didn't have a lot of money, and we struggled to be able to buy necessities..." He took a short pause to curse to himself, wondering why he was explaining to the medic about his problems. "…One day we went to the market, hoping to find a cheap dinner. I passed a shinobi with one of these Jashin medallions around his neck-" he wrapped a hand around his silver necklace, "-and I thought nothing of it until we went back home. He was waiting for us."

Sakura could feel her stomach twisting into knots. Something about this was familiar, and the look in Hidan's eyes proved that it was the _same_…

"My father, who had died a few months before, was a skilled shinobi in Yugakure. He was sent on the hardest of missions: spying, assassination of leaders and such. He had information that the average shinobi couldn't even imagine." Hidan stopped to take a deep breath. "…and the man in our house wanted it."

"We didn't have any of the information he asked for, seeing that it was confidential. So… he killed my mother right in front of me." Sakura inhaled sharply, but silently. She tried to cover it up by rubbing her upper arm in a way of imitating being cold. Her own heart was pounding, wanting to beg him to stop his story and to crawl back into her sleeping bag. But she couldn't…her mouth wouldn't produce sound.

Hidan's eyes were unfocused- lost in his story. "He… cut her deep into her shoulder. The blood just wouldn't stop. He swallowed a drop and drew the symbol of Jashin under him. When he stabbed himself, my mother cried out and fell to the floor. She never moved again." Hidan shook his head slightly, trying to focus his eyes on something. "He knew I didn't have any information. I was too young to understand most of the Japanese language… so he took me in. he raised me until I was 18, then he gave me my medallion. I became a Jashinist like him."

Sakura sat in silence, absorbing every word that came from the silver-haired man's mouth. She resisted the urge to cry for him and held it back, sitting up straight, trying her hardest to lock with his unfocused eyes.

"The dream was of the day my mother died. It was all so vivid… every scream, every drop of blood…the look in her _eyes _as she begged to whatever gods there were that I would be safe…"

"You loved her." Sakura's eyebrows scrunched in grief. Hidan lifted his head that had been falling down more and more as the story went on. When their eyes met, he felt himself frown deeply.

"It's late. We should get to bed." He stood up slowly and walked over to his sleeping bag. Sakura just sat where she was, watching in silence. "Don't you _dare_ tell anyone what I said tonight. If you do, I'll have to kick your ass."

Sakura shook her head and smiled slightly. Serious conversation or not, he was still the foul-mouthed Akatsuki immortal. Hidan just smirked in reply as he slicked his hair back once again. "Oh, and one more thing…"

"Yeah?"

"There's something damn fishy going on. That nightmare was… I'd be careful if I were you." Sakura tried to find a joke in his face, but his eyes proved that he was dead serious. It caused her to shiver slightly.

"Okay." With that, the two returned to their beds.

Though it was late and they had a lot of traveling to do in the morning, no one dared to close their eyes.

* * *

"So this is Takigakure?" Sakura was standing before a giant tree, and by giant, we're talking _colossal_.

"You've never been here?" asked Hidan, amused at the medic's surprised behavior.

"N-No… Well I don't _think_ I have. How old is this tree?"

"It's been there since the beginning of time itself."

"_Really_?"

"How the hell should _I_ know?"

Sakura punched the immortal's shoulder, causing him to wince slightly. "So where do you think this guy is?"

"Most likely sneaking around the village in disguise. We're gonna' have to check it out."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious! How can we possibly get in?"

"The same way our little missing-nin friend did. This was Kakuzu's village before he joined Akatsuki, so I know the way in." Hidan started removing his cloak.

Sakura mimicked his actions, removing her cloak, hitae-ate, and her kunai pouch. They placed their equipment, including Hidan's enormous scythe, in a medium sized bush. "Someone is going to find those, you know." She paused and thought for a moment. "Got it." Sakura squatted down by the bush and placed a hand on it. Focusing for a minute, she was able to create a barrier for it.

"Alright. Let's go." Hidan led the way to the back of the tree, where there was a giant waterfall coming off of a cliff. Sakura seemed confused when he started to slink behind the rushing water and onto a ledge. Sakura followed him, curiosity burning her mind. There was a passage that the two followed until they saw light, and then the village came into view.

"The village was hidden behind the waterfall?" asked Sakura, looking around at the houses.

"Hence the name: hidden waterfall village." Hidan rolled his eyes, causing the medic to glare.

"You're such a- ugh! If I wasn't sent on this stupid assas-"

"Can this wait until after we find _cousin Laurence_?" Sakura got quiet, giving him a "what the hell…?" stare. "Maybe some of the _NINJA _here can help us find a _QUIETER PLACE_ where we talk about his _WHEREABOUTS_." The realization dawned on her quickly when she noticed a few Takigakure shinobi eyeing them carefully.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure we can find an inn or something." Hidan rolled his eyes and the two of them made their way to the nearest inn, which was a little run down and run by an old couple.

Hidan had asked for only one room, and when Sakura objected to this, he had whispered to her that they were supposed to undercover as a married couple.

When the door shut behind them and they were in the privacy of their room, Sakura exploded. "Whose _bright_ idea was it for _me_ to be married to _you_? Why couldn't we have been _siblings_? I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you."

"_One_: it was _Leader's_ bright idea. _Two_: we look nothing alike. _Three_: That's fine with me because I wouldn't want to be sleeping either if I was in a bed with a sexy beast like myself."

Sakura grimaced. "You're disgusting."

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. We probably won't be spending the night here anyway if we're lucky. We need to search for our guy right away. I've got other missions in this area lined up after this one."

"So, what- I'm walking back alone?"

"Yeah. What's the matter? Is wittle Sakuwa scawed?"

"I really hate you." The malice that dripped from the girl's mouth would make any man that wasn't an immortal Akatsuki piss himself.

"Well, the feeling's mutual,"

Sakura tripped over her words. "If you _hate_ me, why did you tell me about your dream?"

"Why did you listen?" Sakura stopped talking there. She couldn't tell him the real reason. "So, you wanna know why the hell I told you? _Hm_?" Hidan took an angry step towards the medic, causing her to flinch and take a step back. "Because I _knew_ you would listen. Because you understand what the hell I went through that day in Yugakure, don't you? You know how the _hell_ you understand? Don't think I don't know. I'm not as stupid as you think I am! It's obvious- It's because we're the same! You've felt that pain; you went through the same thing-!"

_**SMACK!**__I did a brief review of this, doing a little bit of editing here and there. There are probably some mistakes still in there, but i guess i just didn't see them :) I'll try harder to get this story moving! It's summer, so i'll be able to update more often. i hope you'll stick with it :D reviews keep me going! R&R!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Wow. It's been so long. I'm very, VERY sorry. I just started at a private high school and it takes up all of my free time. Really, I hardly have time to blink._

_Well, instead of going on with my excuses, I'll let you get to this (almost forgotten) story._

* * *

Sakura tripped over her words. "If you _hate_ me, why did you tell me about your dream?"

"Why did you listen?" Sakura stopped talking there. She couldn't tell him the real reason. "So, you wanna know why the hell I told you? _Hm_?" Hidan took an angry step towards the medic, causing her to flinch and take a step back. "Because I _knew_ you would listen. Because you understand what the hell I went through that day in Yugakure, don't you? You know how the _hell_ you understand? Don't think I don't know. I'm not as stupid as you think I am! It's obvious- It's because we're the same! You've felt that pain; you went through the same thing-!"

_**SMACK!**_

* * *

"Don't..." Sakura choked out, doing everything she could to block the river of salty tears behind her eyes. "Don't _ever_…" she sobbed, pulling her hand back to her chest and holding it there.

Hidan watched silently as the girl trembled, trying and failing at holding back tears. He lifted a hand and rested it on his pulsing, red cheek.

"Don't ever compare me to you!" The medic's voice changed pitch, and cracked, "My loss was nothing like yours!" and with that, she fled from the room leaving a puzzled Jashinist behind. He stood there for a minute, absorbing her last words before leaving him in the empty room by himself.

He couldn't help but be mad at her. His mother, _his own mother_, was murdered before his eyes. How could her loss be so much more painful? "Don't compare them," she had yelled. Hidan's gory imagination gave him a few ideas on what she could've gone through, but every scenario would've put the girl in therapy for years.

Hidan sighed and walked over to the lone double bed in the room. This girl had caused nothing but trouble ever since leader brought her into Akatsuki. Just what the hell was he planning for her anyway?

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a man walk by his room. Hidan's first thought of this was anger towards Sakura for leaving the door open. But then the man locked eyes with the Jashinist, and sped off. Violet eyes narrowed, and he quickly walked to his bag to retrieve Taro Nagataka's profile.

* * *

Sakura sped through the Hidden Waterfall Village, ignoring curses from those she ran into. Red images flashed in her mind, causing salty twin rivers to run down her face. She stopped running when she reached an isolated area.

The area was quiet; all that could be heard was the medic's short, quick gasps. The flush, green park was peaceful. It somewhat helped her calm her mind.

"Excuse me…" Sakura jumped at the voice. How could she have not heard them approach? "I'm sorry; I don't mean to bother you. But is everything alright?" the man behind her was highly attractive…okay, more like drop-dead sexy. She tripped over her words while rubbing harshly at her red eyes.

"N-Nothing. I'm okay. Thank you." She gave the man a small smile, which she had to try very hard to pull off.

"I see. I was worried. A beautiful woman such as you shouldn't be out here by herself." He cast a warm smirk towards her, causing Sakura to blush furiously.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you." Sure, this man was gorgeous, but something seemed a little off about him.

"Really, now?" a suspicious glint appeared in his eyes. "But what if some stranger were to show up and take advantage of an emotionally hurt beauty like you?"

Sakura was immediately on guard. She took a good few steps backwards and stared the man in the eyes. "If you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and leave while you can."

The man only continued smirking in his sinister way. "But then you would be lonely." In a flash, he leapt forward and grabbed Sakura by her shoulder, stared darkly into her eyes, and whispered "Gokai no Jutsu."*

"You son of a…" Sakura trailed off, lost in the sound of the man's voice.

The medic reached out, hesitantly, and cupped the man's cheek.

"Nagataka-sama…"

* * *

Hidan was bent over the piece of paper. He read the "abilities" section over and over again. A muscle tensed in his jaw. "Dammit..." he shoved the paper in his pocket and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

'…Nothing but damn trouble-!"

* * *

"…Nagataka-sama." Sakura's eyes scanned over his face.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, lovely?" The pink-haired girl said nothing. She leaned in slowly and kissed his neck before trailing over his jaw.

"This is a bit pathetic. Is brainwashing girls the only way you can get laid?" the medic pulled away and stared at the Jashinist with a blank stare. "Damn, Sakura. You really fell for it? Ah, shit… you really are a pain in the ass, you know." Hidan pulled a kunai from his pocket and pointed it towards the missing-nin. "Taro Nagataka, you are hereby about to get your ass kicked."

The man only sighed and let out a low chuckle. "Sakura, is it? Well then, Sakura-chan, would you be a dear and take care of this pest for me?" She immediately stepped forward in a ready stance, fists glowing with chakra.

Hidan was taken aback, and stared unbelieving at the kunoichi glaring at him.

"…You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Sakura charged at the Jashinist, fist pulled back for a punch. Hidan evaded easily and put distance between them. _'Think, Hidan, think…'_ he scanned the area and found Taro watching quietly from behind a tree. _'Bingo.'_ As he shuffled his feet from behind the tree to walk away from the battle, Hidan swiftly through the kunai. He concentrated on keeping it hidden from Taro's senses _while_ keeping away from Sakura. He noticed it before it was too late, and he managed to keep it away from any vital areas. The kunai wedged itself into his shoulder, causing Taro to grunt in pain.

Sakura stopped mid-punch to see Hidan staring at her with fixed eyes. She blinked a few times and shook her head. "What was I…" suddenly, she remembered. She turned around to see the missing-nin pulling a kunai out of his arm. She walked swiftly up to him. "Nagataka-sama, did I tell you that I'm a medic?" she cast him her sweetest smile. He allowed her to press her hand on his shoulder.

Catching on to her trick, Hidan stayed back and kept his mouth shut.

Taro's face immediately went from soothed to a deep grimace. Sakura smiled larger and placed on of her hands around his neck. "This is for using me as your play toy." With that, Sakura pushed her chakra into his neck, cutting every artery traveling through his throat.

* * *

_DesertAnwar: No! Bad Hidan! I told you not to say the "F" word!_

_Hidan: well, it caught me off guard. Shut up._

_DesertAnwar: …I can very easily write you out of this story._

_Hidan: I'll be good._

_DesertAnwar: I hope you enjoyed this very strange chapter of New Recruit. And for those faithful readers, thank you SO much for waiting so patiently. It's very difficult to manage private high school and work on fanfiction. (At the moment, I'm failing both Physics and Algebra, but they're close to passing.) hopefully i can finish this story before spring. i'll try to work on it more often. i didn't do any editing, so i'm sorry if there is a bunch of grammar mistakes._

_*Gokai no Jutsu: Gokai mean "lust"_


	13. Chapter 13

_Ah, it's been so very long. I apologize for that._

_I'll let everyone know now that I read every single review, and take each one into consideration. I seriously wouldn't have gotten through chapter 3 if there weren't any. I expected a few, but 136 reviews? I can't thank you guys enough._

_I would happily add MadaSaku to the storyline, except that would just complicate my storyline further than it already is in my head. Tobi will just be Tobi. No Madara or Obito. Sorry. But maybe if others want to see a MadaSaku, I may do a oneshot later on. Until then, please bear with me._

_Now, that's enough of my babbling. Here is the (hopefully long awaited) chapter 13 of New Recruit._

* * *

Last time:

Taro's face immediately went from soothed to a deep grimace. Sakura smiled larger and placed one of her hands around his neck. "This is for using me as your play toy." With that, Sakura pushed her chakra into his neck, cutting every artery traveling through his throat.

* * *

Hidan simply stared, watching the assassination take place. After the body fell to the ground, Sakura took a step back. The Jashinist could tell from the way she stared at the lifeless form that she was feeling remorse, but he knew that after a time of carrying these tasks out, she wouldn't feel the growing anxiety pooling in her stomach.

Sakura was fighting the urge not cry. She had carried the task out in a fit of anger, and now she was feeling the after burn. She knew that if she started bawling here, Hidan would never take her seriously as a kunoichi.

As soon as she thought it, she questioned why she cared.

"Well, then…" Hidan's voice broke through her thoughts, and she whipped her head around to look him in his violet eyes. "I like it better when you do the assassinations. There's hell of a lot less to clean up." He chuckled and bent over to grab his kunai from the ground. "There's not even a speck of blood." Sakura slowly looked back at the body. He was right. The severing of arteries didn't require her to break the skin. It was a clean kill, but this throat was quickly turning a splotchy red color.

She looked away again.

"For Jashin's sake…" Hidan scratched the back of his neck, feeling slightly awkward with the uncomfortable medic. "Just go back to the inn. I'll put the body somewhere civilians won't find it." Sakura simply nodded at that. It seemed like the best decision at the time. Of course someone will know he was murdered by Akatsuki. Hell, it wouldn't have surprised her if some village jounin watched the entire assassination take place. But she didn't see the point in them wanting to intervene. Another missing-nin was dead and no longer a threat.

With that, Sakura turned on her heel and headed back to the inn.

* * *

It was about two in the morning when she heard the door creak open. Her half-lidded eyes trailed over to the figure that quietly closed the door behind him. When he turned around, he seemed surprised to see her still awake. "I couldn't sleep" is what she had said when he asked why she was up.

He hadn't said anything right away after she said that. He stood by the door for a good minute before stating, "The first kill is tough. Everyone in Akatsuki goes through it at some point. Leader went easy on you and had you do it early." Hidan strode over to the double bed where Sakura sat, chin on knees.

"That's only half of what's bothering me…" she whispered, eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm afraid to go to sleep."

"Nightmares." He stated with a knowing nod.

Sakura simply nodded in reply. "How long have they been screwing with your mind?" she asked.

He didn't hesitate to reply, "The last few days." Sakura turned and looked at him curiously. His eyes met hers, and she gave an involuntary shudder. "You too?"

"Four days." She murmured. The silence afterwards filled both their ears, causing Sakura to lift her hands to grasp her head. "Don't leave me alone with them." She pleaded silently.

Hidan's eyes grew slightly at that request. "…them?" he questioned.

"The nightmares…" Sakura dug her head down into her knees.

Hidan watched as the strong, hot-headed kunoichi trembled vulnerably before him. It felt wrong to him, like she would be the one to brush these things off. When their eyes met when he came in the room, her fire was gone. There was no blazing spirit in her eyes like there had been when they first met. She was weak and… exposed. He coughed faintly, clearing his throat. "Do you want me in the bed…or…?" Why was he stuttering…?

The medic lifted her head to steal a glance at him. "here," she whispered. Hidan obeyed, sliding his shoes off and moving slowly onto the bed, hesitantly. Once he was lying beside her, she slid down so that she was lying fully beside him. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder, a light heat pooling in his cheeks.

"Is this alright?" he asked. Sakura nodded and moved closer, wrapping a slender arm around his upper body. There was silence as they listened to each other's breathing. They had the same fears, and yet they were so different. "Sakura…" he whispered into her ear. She made a "hn" noise in reply, letting him know she had heard him. "What did you lose?"

There was another long silence. She lifted her head from her pillow and looked into the Jashinist's anxious violet eyes. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she opened her mouth to answer him.

* * *

After sneaking unnoticeably out of The Hidden Waterfall village and retrieving their weapons from the bush, they made their way to the nearest chakra gate so they could transport back to base. Sakura started fiddling with one of the long tassels hanging from her straw hat. She really liked doing that.

"Oi, Sakura." The medic-nin's attention was brought to the immortal that was walking a few feet in front of her. "Look." He lifted an arm to point up at a bird flying towards them at a fast pace. Sakura panicked and slipped a kunai from her sleeve. Hidan only chuckled and told her to calm down, which she did hesitantly. The bird landed on his outstretched arm, and Sakura watched intently as he removed a piece of paper that was tied to the bird's foot. The bird transferred itself to Hidan's shoulder as he unrolled and read the note. "Change of plans," he stated after a minute. Sakura cocked her head slightly to the side in a questioning manner. "Leader wants us to meet up with Kisame and the Uchiha bastard at the Grass border. They'll inform us what to do from then."

Sakura simply nodded and watched as Hidan sent the bird away. "The Grass border is south of here, and it shouldn't take too long to get there." Sakura stated more to herself than to Hidan. "We should get there by sundown." She said a bit louder. The Jashinist nodded and they headed out towards their destination.

They traveled in silence for a while, and Sakura was grateful for that. She hardly had any time to think anymore, and she still hadn't come up with an idea on how to free Naruto. A glower formed on her face and she lifted a hand to twiddle with her straw hat tassels. She tugged and twirled the white fabric, feeling the unease pooling in her stomach. Naruto didn't deserve to be locked up like a zoo animal, and that made her irritated. Everything Naruto had ever done had been for the benefit of another. Was he still unconscious in there? If he wasn't, were they giving him enough food? What if he was injured? She wouldn't be able to get to him if he was.

Sakura stopped fiddling with the tassel and lifted her hand to rub her right temple. Why didn't she think longer before making the decision to join Akatsuki? She should've thought of something quicker, and then she wouldn't be in this mess. She should've seen through Pein's disguise. But she didn't, so now she's stuck in Akatsuki. Because of her, Naruto was alone in a base full of S-Rank criminals.

She had to get him out somehow. No…

She _would_ get him out.

Itachi and Kisame had arrived before them, and were standing in the middle of a small bridge. Kisame grinned and waved, showing two sharp rows of teeth. Itachi showed no sign that he had seen the two of them.

"Well you guys really took your sweet time," said Kisame, smiling broadly, "I thought you'd never show up." Hidan just huffed and muttered some expletives under his breath. Sakura looked at him and giggled lightly. Hidan just stuck out his bottom lip in a pouting fashion. Kisame's eyes got wide. "Woah… You're not gonna' blow up at her laughing at you?" Hidan just shrugged. "Okay, what the hell happened to Hidan? Did you guys develop some kind of sentimental bond within the last few days or something?" Both the medic and Jashinist blushed slightly, because, well… they sorta _had_, even though neither would admit to it. Hidan simply rolled his eyes and groaned, and Sakura shuffled her feet uneasily.

But they were nothing more than friends; at least they were in Sakura's mind.

"So what are Pein's orders?" questioned Sakura. Itachi looked at her then, at the mention of Leader's name. She could've sworn she saw the slight raise of an eyebrow, but she brushed it off.

"Leader wants you and Itachi to stop off in a small village on the way back." Explained Kisame, "One of Akatsuki's important allies is suffering from an unknown poison he got from an attack by ANBU."

The first thought that went through Sakura's mind: _Itachi_? Pein wanted her to go with _Itachi_? She settled with saying "He wants me to heal him" instead. Kisame smiled and nodded. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but why does Pein want me to go with Itachi?" Sakura glanced at the Uchiha, and said shinobi glanced back at her, blank stare in place.

The shark man seemed as if he expected this question. "Leader has solo missions for Hidan and I, and, well… he doesn't really trust, er… _want_ you to go by yourself." He flashed a wavering smile.

Well… damn. That kinda' stung.

But didn't he understand that she wouldn't just up and leave Naruto behind?

However, she could understand where he was coming from. She _was_ a member of Akatsuki against her will. But the fact that he didn't trust her to go on a mission by herself almost hurt her feelings, as corny as it sounded.

…Almost.

Sakura just muttered a "yeah" and slowly turned to Hidan. He met her eyes with a blank expression, and he tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Well, see ya' later then, Sakura." He turned back around and headed across the bridge, sparing a quick glance at Itachi that she couldn't really see. She felt somewhat upset by his… uneventful goodbye. She expected a little more after what she had told him the night before. Almost on cue, Hidan whirled around to face her. "Oh yeah, when you get back, I have something I want to show ya'." With that, he gave a curt wave, and then turned back around. Kisame waved too, turned on his heel, and ran ahead of Hidan. The Jashinist quickened his pace until, within seconds, they were out of sight. This left Sakura alone with one of the few surviving members of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Itachi. She knew she wasn't _really_ in any danger with him, but she still felt the nervousness in her stomach, and the alarm in her head was shouting, "DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!" Reluctantly, she pushed it out of thought.

"So…" started Sakura, "Where exactly is this village?" She half expected not to receive and answer, since he had remained quiet since they arrived.

But to her relief, he did answer. "Southeast of here, near the border of Rain and Fire country."

Sakura swallowed a lump in her throat. Fire country… that meant leaf-nin.

"In order to avoid problems with leaf-nin," he said, as if reading her mind (which he probably was, Sakura suspected), "we would have to travel along the border. That means a longer trip."

Sakura coughed lightly and voiced the other option, "Or we could cut through Fire." He nodded. The medic-nin shuffled lightly on her feet, that uneasy feeling in her stomach getting more and more unbearable. She didn't _want_ to face any leaf-nin. If they did, the next shinobi to aim a kunai at her throat may be a dear friend. Kami knows she didn't want _that_ to happen.

Itachi seemed to watch her as she went through this disturbing thought process. His eyes seemed to relax and he sighed. "We can take the long route." Sakura seemed surprised by his voice, and at first she didn't register that he had spoken. By the time she realized what he had said, he had already turned around and started walking.

She didn't object though. She wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste.

She shuffled her feet forward, following the Uchiha from a distance.

* * *

Pein tapped his fingers restlessly against his desk. His head was propped up on his other hand, and he was looking over some shipment contracts. In other words: he was bored out of his mind. He let his mind wander to the Kyuubi host that was caged up behind his chair. He had woken up long ago, and for a good two days constantly banged on the chakra bars, which only resulted in burnt hands. Now, though, he remained silent. Well, as silent as the obnoxious blonde could be.

"I swear, if you so much as lay a finger on her…" he had growled for the fifth time that day. He let it stop there, allowing Pein's imagination to take over. The Akatsuki leader simply chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

_Her_… well, he could certainly thank the Jinchuuriki for bringing his mind back to _her_. And in case you, dear reader, couldn't realize…

That was sarcasm.

To the extreme, actually. He had done everything in his power to keep his mind off of her. He had even sent her on another mission right away so he wouldn't have to see her. This woman was making him think in different ways, and he didn't like it. He couldn't focus on his work, and he began to wonder about the civilians of foreign countries would think of his actions.

Civilians that have absolutely nothing to do with his plans.

And it pissed him off. He was tired of her constantly squeezing her way into his mind. He had better things to do than fantasize about the beautiful, talented, smart-

Wait a minute.

He had to stop this. At this very moment, it had to end. He took a deep breath, and released it slowly. There… she was forever out of his mind.

He immediately thought of silky pink tendrils of hair.

"Damn…" He dropped his head to the desk with a loud _thunk_, surprising the imprisoned Naruto. A woman stood unnoticed in his doorway, and she watched Pein's emotional turmoil play out on his face. She furrowed her brows, and walked away, tucking a stray strand of blue hair behind her ear.

* * *

_Ah, there we have it. Don't worry PeinSaku fans, I'll bring Sakura home soon enough :) she's been away far too long. As an apology for making you guys wait so long, I've doubled the length of my normal chapters for this one._

_I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. It could possibly be in a few days, or a few weeks. I work in mysterious ways ;)_

_For all you silent readers out there- SPEAK UP! Write a review! It may help me update faster! And please, just writing, "please continue" doesn't inspire me to write whatsoever. Still appreciated you like it, but guys… that tells me nothing. Oh, and I want your opinion._

_The main couples in this story are PeinSaku, HidaSaku, DeiSaku, and minor ItaSaku. Should I add a little TobiSaku in there as well? Tell me what you think!_

_Well, I think I've written enough for now. See you guys in chapter 14 of New Recruit 3_


	14. Chapter 14

_Hey guys. Bored with this story yet? If you're reading this, then I hope not._

_Okay, I have a challenge for you readers out there. I have a few DeiSaku videos on YouTube, and if you can figure out which picture in the video that I drew, I'll… I don't know, do a special oneshot request. You can only guess once, so… yeah. No cheating :3 for your guess, just put a time, like 2:19 or 4:56. You can look at either one; my picture is in both:_

_/watch?v=xua2v4ggsOU – DeiSaku: Love Like Woe (The Ready Set)_

_/watch?v=ZrUlnlhrffQ – DeiSaku: Let Me Go (Christian Kane)_

_This is only a little thing for fun. Ignore it if you want, but if you're up to the challenge, guess away :) I'll tell you who guessed correctly in chapter 15._

* * *

They had walked in silence for a good hour, and frankly, the tension between the medic and the Uchiha could be cut with a knife.

And it was making her very, _VERY_ uncomfortable.

Sakura was still walking a good ten feet behind him, not wanting to get too close. At first she questioned why she was so uncomfortable, seeing as they were now _allies_. Maybe it had something to do with him killing his entire clan, screwing with his little brother's mind, and joining an evil organization plotting to take over the world.

Hell, maybe she was just paranoid.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her own little mind-sarcasm. It didn't do much to help get rid of the uneasiness in her stomach. If anything, it got even worse due to old memories.

"We have to quicken our pace." The medic's head jerked up in surprise at hearing _him_ speak. It took her a minute to recover from shock.

"Is there someone following us?" Sakura was immediately on guard, focusing on her surroundings to find any stray chakra signatures. Upon finding none, she was confused.

"No. Akatsuki's ally may not survive his illness if we can't get to him in time." Sakura suddenly felt very stupid, and just nodded, even though he couldn't see it. Their speed greatly increased as they headed for their destination.

Another few hours passed. It was getting dark.

Yet, she wasn't tired. She had too much to think about and not enough time to cram those thoughts in. Her feet moved on autopilot, and her mind travelled everywhere: Naruto, her friends, Tsunade, Konoha… She couldn't get a straight thought to come to her mind. Her head started feeling heavy.

"Haruno," She almost ran into him when he suddenly stopped and turned around to face her, red eyes gleaming under the brim of his kasa. She skidded to a stop a few feet from him, suddenly feeling very nervous. "We stop here." He turned back around and settled himself under a nearby tree.

It took a few minutes for her thoughts to gather back together.

Camp… right, she knew that.

She silently cleared her throat and settled across from the Uchiha at another tree about five yards away. It was times like this that she hated being a missing-nin. They couldn't build a fire this close to city limits in case they're seen by patrolling ANBU. But she also felt quite grateful of her black cloak and kasa shielding her face.

At least no one would recognize her.

Sakura peered out from under her straw hat, eyeing the Uchiha carefully. His eyes were closed, but his posture was too straight. He was still awake and very alert, and by the looks of it, had no intention of actually going to sleep. She sighed to herself and looked up at the sky. It was one of the things she liked about Grass. Every night the stars were out, and the moon was always pure white and luminous. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bright light move across the sky. She glanced towards it, and smiled at the shooting star that moved quickly across the sky and disappeared. Something in the back of her mind said that Deidara would've loved to see that.

_Make a wish_, she told herself. She closed her eyes and thought.

How could she even come up with one thing to wish for at a time like this?

She scrunched her eyebrows and gave up, deciding to save that wish for later.

* * *

The next day, the two Akatsuki got up at dawn and travelled for a few hours before reaching a small village. It wasn't anything special, and Sakura began to wonder what Akatsuki could possibly want with someone who lived in a town this small. _What could they provide…?_ She wondered.

Itachi led the way to a small shack on the outer parts of the village. He knocked on the door once, and waited. They didn't have to wait long, for almost immediately a middle-aged woman swung open the door and smiled brightly at them. "Oh, we've been waiting for you! Thank you so much for coming!" she invited them in eagerly, which Sakura thought was slightly awkward due to the minimal space in what she assumed to be the living room. "My husband has been ill with a poisoned wound for two days now." She chattered about his symptoms, and Sakura listened quietly, thinking about the right combination of herbs to fully cure his ailment. Itachi waited in the small living room as the woman took Sakura into the only bedroom in the little shack.

What the medic saw inside didn't affect her much, for she had seen much worse during her time at Konoha's hospital.

The man laying in the small double-bed had a large gash on his stomach, and some kind of yellow pus mixed in with specks of purple, which was most likely the poison. Sakura groaned inwardly. It looked like they had tried to clean it up themselves, but failed miserably, making her job that much harder.

She placed a glowing green hand on his forehead, checking his temperature and how far the poison had spread. The man's wife watched anxiously, waiting patiently for Sakura's diagnosis. Instead of a diagnosis, the medic gave the woman orders.

"I'll need a bucket of ice water and a cloth. Any dry herbs you have would be useful as well." The woman nodded and almost ran out of the room.

Curing this man would be difficult, but not impossible.

He had a high fever, and the poison had already spread close to his heart. She sighed and grabbed a nearby stool and sat by the bed. She placed her hand on his chest, using her chakra to place a glowing barrier around his heart to prevent any infection to get to it. That would have to hold until the woman came back with the water and herbs.

* * *

"Konan-san~!" The hallways echoed with the high-pitched call. "Konan-san~!"

The man pouted behind his mask when he realized that the blue-haired kunoichi was nowhere to be seen. "Tobi is so lonely and bored…" A hard bash on his skull made him realize the presence of another in the Akatsuki base's living room.

"What the hell do you mean by 'bored,' hn?" The blond artist glared at the masked shinobi, annoyed by his loud screaming. "Don't you have work you should be doing, yeah?"

Tobi rubbed at his now bruised head, sobbing loudly. "But Sempai… Tobi hasn't seen Konan-san since yesterday… Konan-san went outside and hasn't come back. What if Konan-san is missing? Or what if Konan-san has been kidnapped?" There was another bash on the younger Akatsuki's head. "Auhhh, Sempaiii! Why are you hurting Tobi?"

"Because you're irritating the hell out of me with your 'Konan-san' this and 'Konan-san' that, un!" Deidara cracked his knuckles menacingly. "You have a job to do, so go and talk to Leader before _HE_ bashes your skull in, hn!"

Tobi quickly walked away, still rubbing at his sore head.

"You are _not_ a good boy, Sempai…"

* * *

It only took about an hour for Sakura to finish her healing session. It was about another hour by the time she had finished explaining to the patient's wife when and how to give the medicine to her husband. After many thanks, Itachi and Sakura were able to leave the small house. The medic sighed heavily, rubbing at her sore temples.

"Must be difficult," said the Uchiha in his monotone voice, "I hear medical jutsu takes a lot of concentration." Sakura didn't even bother hiding her surprised look at hearing him speak to her.

Finally she let out a mirthless chuckle and said, "You have no idea…" He watched her carefully as she placed her kasa back over her head. He let a smirk play over his usually blank face, unseen by the pink-haired medic.

"I see." His face immediately dropped back to its normal appearance- all emotion gone.

Sakura just gave a "hn." in reply, letting him know she had heard him.

Itachi gave an inaudible sigh, and then addressed the other ninja's name. When she turned around, he told her that the small village they were in was one of Akatsuki's special 'gates.' Sakura's eyes widened a fraction, and nodded. After performing the special seals Pein had taught her, they were transported to Akatsuki's spacious living room. Almost immediately, Sakura heard a loud, but slightly muffled, scream.

Surprised, she quickly turned around to come face to mask with none other than Tobi. He immediately glomped her, almost causing her to fall over.

"Saku-Saku! You're back! Tobi hasn't been able to see Saku-Saku since Saku-Saku arrived in Akatsuki and Leader-sama doesn't like Tobi so Leader-sama sent Tobi away on a long mission and-"

"Tobi." Sakura looked away from the swirly orange mask pressed up against her cheek to see none other than the Akatsuki leader standing in the kitchen doorway. "That's enough."

Tobi reluctantly backed away, releasing the medic. He mumbled a quick apology before hopping onto one of the leather couches and turning on the television. Sakura cast a quick glance to her side and realized that Itachi had disappeared.

She hesitantly approached the orange haired ninja, but kept her distance. "I should thank you for that."

Pein smirked. "Then thank me."

"Well I'm not going to anymore since you're being so commanding about it." The medic allowed a smile to creep over her features.

"It would be the _polite_ thing to do." He said slowly, trying his best to be a pain in the ass.

Sakura's smile only grew wider, but held a bit of annoyance. "The _polite_ thing to do would be to let Akatsuki's temporary medic go back to her quarters for some much desired _rest_."

"Who said anything about temporary?"

Sakura's smile dropped immediately and replaced it with a scowl. "Can't I have at least one conversation with you that doesn't result in me wanting to kick your ass?"

"Well that's up to you. Can you?"

Sakura grunted angrily and stormed up the stairs, but not before shoving her shoulder roughly against his as she passed. After a few minutes, he heard a door slam, which caused him to wince. He sighed and stared at the staircase that led to the Akatsuki quarters.

Tobi poked his head out from behind the couch and whispered only loud enough for Pein to hear, "That wasn't very smart, Leader-sama. Even Tobi knows that." He cocked his head to the side when Pein started to glare at him. "Leader-sama should say he's sorry if he wants Saku-Saku to like him."

With that, the masked ninja turned off the television and retreated to his own quarters, leaving a very irritated Akatsuki leader. Frustrated, he plopped himself down on the couch and forced himself to fall asleep as images of pink flooded his mind.


	15. Chapter 15

Since this is my first week of summer vacation, I feel I owe you readers a lovely chapter of New Recruit! Sorry it's been so long. School sucks. And, by the way… no one guessed the picture :) it was this one: .com/gallery/#/d3834t3. I know, I know, that was an impossible contest. Well, whatever :) let's see if I can think of anything better by the end of this story…

* * *

Sakura slammed her door with full force, almost knocking it off its hinges. "Stupid-!" she grumbled under her breath, "Stupid, prideful, conceited, infuriating, idiotic carrot-top!" in another flash of irritation, the medic aimed a fist towards her closet door, which broke upon impact. With a second glance at the broken door, she cursed out loud.

A quiet knock at her door only served to anger her further.

"Go _away_, Pein!" she spat, "I don't have the patience for any more of your _bullshit_!"

The room fell silent except for the sounds of Sakura's deep breaths.

"…Saku-Saku?" came a muffled voice, "May Tobi come in?"

Sakura made a face towards her door… she _really_ didn't want to put up with the childish Akatsuki, either. Pein was bad enough for a welcoming party from a long mission, but Tobi was over the top.

"If Saku-Saku doesn't want to talk, Tobi understands…" the medic could hear the masked shinobi take a hesitant step back. The pitiful tone in his voice calmed her somewhat.

Sakura let out a reluctant sigh and walked over to her door and opened it. As expected, a tall, masked ninja twiddling his thumbs stood before her. "What is it, Tobi? I'm not really in the mood to talk."

"Come with Tobi," he said, ignoring her complaint, "Tobi wants to show Saku-Saku something." Sakura simply groaned in reply. "It'll be fun." He tilted his head to the side, and Sakura suspected that he was smiling. For the thousandth time that day, she sighed. She stepped out of the room and shut her door.

* * *

"So where is it exactly that you're taking me?" she said, finally. Tobi had taken her down the stairs, into the living room, and into the dark hallway she had been when she was first kidnapped.

She grimaced at that last word.

"Saku-Saku will have to wait and see!" He looked over his shoulder and placed a gloved finger over his mask in a shushing manner. Sakura simply rolled her eyes and observed the endless hallway.

"What are all these doors?" she asked.

Tobi scanned the doors as if suddenly realizing that there _were_, in fact, doors lining the hallway. "Leader-sama uses them for lots of things, like storage and safe rooms in case of attack. They can also be made into guest rooms."

Sakura gave out a mirthless chuckle.

They didn't treat their guests with very much hospitality, that's for sure.

"We're here!" Tobi stopped abruptly in front of one of the iron doors, almost causing Sakura to trip over him. After regaining her balance, she looked at the door marked "246."

"You never told me. What exactly _is_ here?" the medic looked at the door, trying to find something special about it. Finding nothing, she looked back at the masked boy.

Tobi looked down both ends of the hallway before leaning in closer to the kunoichi's face. "Saku-Saku has to promise not to tell _nobody_ that Tobi took her here."

Sakura rubbed her arm hesitantly, suddenly feeling cold. "I promise."

Tobi looked at her for a moment longer before straightening up. "Good! Come on!" Tobi made an unfamiliar hand sign, which Sakura made a metal note to remember, and opened the door. Behind it was another short hallway with another door at the end. This one, to Sakura, looked like it was made from some kind of thick steel. "Remember not to tell nobody, Saku-Saku. _Especially_ Leader-sama because if he-"

"Tobi," she interrupted, chuckling softly at his eagerness, "I won't tell anyone. Now what is it you've been dying to show me?"

Tobi tilted his chin down almost shyly, and wrapped a gloved hand around the doorknob. With a hard twist and push, the door was wide open.

Sakura could only stare with her mouth hanging open.

Tobi quickly looked between Sakura and the open door, waiting for a reaction. "Well?" he asked, impatient, "What does Saku-Saku think?"

"Tobi…" she walked up to the door and set a hand on the doorpost, feeling light-headed. "You could get in serious trouble for this." She could still hardly believe what she was seeing.

"Tobi knows, but… Tobi likes Saku-Saku, and Saku-Saku likes Tobi, right? Saku-Saku wouldn't do anything to get Tobi in trouble, right?" they were both silent while Tobi had second thoughts about showing the young medic what was behind the door. Sakura couldn't form any more words. All she could do was shake her head, letting him know that she wouldn't purposefully get him in trouble. Tobi's shoulders relaxed a little after that, and looked back to the open doorway. "Saku-Saku has been sad ever since she got here. Tobi doesn't like it when pretty girls are sad." He set a warm hand on the girl's shoulder. "Tobi didn't have a choice in joining Akatsuki, either. Zetsu-san simply _told_ Tobi that he would be joining. Tobi… doesn't _like_ to hurt people…" he trailed off there, and lifted his head to look at the medic's face.

Sakura couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the fellow Akatsuki member. She couldn't help the empathy she felt, and to realize that the two were more alike than she wanted to believe.

They were _alike_.

With that, she reached forward and wrapped her slim arms around his neck, nuzzling the side of her face in his chest. He didn't protest, but he didn't hug her back, either.

"Thank you, Tobi, "she whispered, pulling the boy closer to her, "I appreciate what you're doing for me… but I can't… not now."

"Saku-Saku wants her friend." He stated, rather than questioned.

"Yes..." Sakura could barely hold back anymore. She wanted more than anything in the world to cry right then, but her pride told her to shove it. "I want my friend."

"Tobi understands." He gave her a gentle pat on her head as Sakura pulled away, arms still resting on his shoulders. "…and Saku-Saku…?"

She smiled at the name. "Yes, Tobi?"

"Don't tell Leader."

* * *

Sakura awoke to silence. Whether it was day or night, she couldn't tell. She kept the curtains shut, for she preferred not to look at the ever-constant rain. After a while, it was kind of a downer.

She lifted herself off of the bed slowly, stretching out tired muscles.

"Let's see…" she muttered, "today makes it…" she lifted a hand to count on her fingers, "…six days since I came back? Damn… that lazy leader of ours needs to assign me a mission or I'm gonna' start breaking some limbs."

'Or start talking to myself.' She finished in her head. With a glance at her clock, she groaned and pulled herself out of bed. Sleeping until noon was not a habit she wanted to build.

After pulling on a pair of black sweatpants and a navy blue tank, Sakura ran a brush through her hair and stepped out of her room. When she exited said room, she was surprised to hear the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. For the last few days, the only person she had seen in there was Tobi. Though, two days ago, Deidara had gone in there to grab a glass of water.

Sakura walked hesitantly down the steps and turned into the kitchen. There she saw Kisame and Deidara chatting about different types of weaponry.

"Ah! Well if it isn't Akatsuki's little cherry blossom." Kisame grinned toothily at her, and she thought she detected a hint of sarcasm in those words. "How are you this lovely afternoon?"

Sakura just stared and wondered.

She wondered why the hell everyone in Akatsuki were freaks, but not for the reasons they should be.

"Hungry." She stated. With that, she marched over to the fridge and pulled out eggs, cheese, and ham. Deidara's eyes lit up at this.

"Make me one?" he asked, walking over to the medic's side. "I haven't had any proper food since you left, un."

Sakura let out a rather girly giggle. "What? The big bad Akatsuki members can't cook?"

"Itachi is decent, but he would die before becoming Akatsuki's chef, yeah." The thought of Itachi in a frilly pink apron tickled at his mind.

Apparently Sakura and Kisame had the same image, and they both laughed along with him. "I've had his cooking before on a few missions," said Kisame, still smiling, "and I'd say he's better than decent."

"Ahh, okay," Sakura was full-out cracking up now, "so he's like a housewife chef!"

The three shinobi were on the verge of tears with the many mental images this conversation was giving them.

"Cooking is a necessity when away for long periods of time."

Everyone immediately stopped laughing and whipped their heads towards the door.

There stood the high and mighty Uchiha, himself.

Sakura didn't dare breathe.

No one said anything as he nonchalantly walked over to the fruit bowl, grabbed a pear, and walked out. Everything was silent until they heard his bedroom door shut.

With that, they were cracking up all over again.

Kisame clapped a massive hand on the medics shoulder and said in between laughs, "You know, kid, you aren't half bad." And he, too, walked out of the room.

Sakura's laughs died down, and she couldn't help but smile.

Yet, this smile had nothing to do with Itachi in a frilly pink apron.

* * *

Voila!

…Yeah, okay, it's not my best chapter, but still! It's something!

I wonder what's behind door number one? ;) Any guesses? I'd love to hear what your theories are!

This was more of a TobiXSakura bonding time, so I apologize to PeinSaku fans. He'll be back soon.

How about… if I get at least ten reviews on this chapter actually _saying_ something about the chapter, I'll update by this Thursday or Friday? (:


	16. Chapter 16

After fixing Deidara and herself an omelet, Sakura retreated back to her room for a nice hot bath. The bathroom connected to her bedroom was heaven in itself, what with its "natural spring" look and all. She grabbed a towel from her closet and almost ran to her beloved bath. Since it was a "natural" spring, the water was constantly warm, so she didn't have to wait for it to fill up. (She preferred not to busy her mind with how the water remained clean.) Before getting in the spring, Sakura tied her hair up in a sloppy bun and removed her tank and sweatpants. After she threw those back into her bedroom, she reentered the bathroom. With a loud, heavy sigh, she rested herself within the hot water.

She couldn't help but think of the door Tobi had shown her. It would definitely help when she needed to plan an escape after rescuing Naruto from his chakra cage. But that, she realized with another sigh, would be the hardest part. The chakra cage Naruto was sealed in was definitely harder than steel. She would know. She could crush steel without breaking a sweat. It irritated the medic that there was something her physical strength alone couldn't crush.

Sakura snapped her eyes open at that thought. Since when had she thought her strength to be superior to everything? This definitely wasn't a good way to think. This cage of Pein's, she noticed, was proof that she couldn't always rely on her fists.

So what she needed to use was her head… a genjutsu, more than likely. Though Pein himself had said only he could take down the barrier, he was a shinobi. Almost all shinobi saw themselves as invincible…

…especially a "god" with a superiority complex.

She needed to get back into Pein's study. Though, she needed to get there when Pein wasn't in the base… or Konan, for that matter. Konan was sweet, but… she would take Pein's side over Sakura's in a heartbeat.

Sakura's thoughts were cut short when she heard the distant sound of shouting. Sakura tried to get even quieter, if it was possible. For a few seconds she heard nothing.

And then everything exploded.

Sakura let out a high-pitched yelp as she felt the room shake around her. Shouts and screams were heard, even louder now, coming from close by. Before Sakura could react, her bathroom door had swung open to reveal a torn up, orange-haired shinobi.

"Anbu platoons… around fourteen..." he gasped out between breaths. He pushed his back up against the wall and shut his eyes, focusing the massive chakra flow around him as his hands moved in a flurry of hand signs. After making the final hand sign, he let himself slide to the ground.

The shaking stopped.

Sakura could only stare in shock as everything that had happened in the last ten seconds registered in her mind.

Then she looked down.

She gasped, a blush creeping up on her face. She quickly submerged herself to her chin, covering all her "special" areas.

"What the hell is going on?" she almost screamed.

Pein quickly placed a finger to his lips. "Don't yell. They'll hear you." Reluctantly, Sakura obliged. Something about him was different than she'd ever seen before.

He looked… _serious_… annoyed… like someone had stolen his favorite toy.

After a few moments of silence, Pein continued. "One of our supposed '_allies'_ leaked information to Konoha." Sakura could feel her breath hitch in the back of her throat. He noticed this, but didn't say anything about it. "As far as I know, no one has released information about your _joining_ the organization, but news has gotten out that we have a new medic..." He looked Sakura in the eyes with a grimace on his face. "…a pink-haired medic."

Sakura smacked her head on the edge of the spring in frustration.

Why? Now Konoha thought she was a traitor! She would never be able to look Tsunade in the face ever again… or Ino, or Kakashi, or Hinata, or-

"They've come to rescue you."

Pein looked at the silent kunoichi. He hadn't planned on letting her know that Konoha thought Sakura was imprisoned within the organization (which she was). It would only cause future issues, and it would give Sakura a hope Pein didn't feel like crushing.

But he _wasn't_ gonna' let her go.

Sakura couldn't breathe. Konoha _knew_? They were here to rescue her? What if they _could_ save her? But, wait… she couldn't leave Naruto here. What if they were able to retrieve him, too? What if they could go back to their lives as Konoha shinobi? What if…

What if…

There were so many "what ifs," and it made Sakura's heart tighten in her chest. What if this was all a false hope? It was stupid to hope in this situation. Each member of this organization could easily take down a platoon of ANBU. And if they couldn't…

She stopped there. She didn't want to think about what could happen to the Akatsuki members. And it made her think…

Why did she care?

If the girl she had looked to as some kind of older-sister died, why should it matter? If the teenage artist that loved her omelets died, did it make a difference? If the mysterious boy who acted like a child and gave her a nickname died, would it even affect her? If…

If Pein were to die…

"Sakura."

Sakura looked up with clouded eyes.

He hesitated before speaking. "…Do you have any clothes in here?"

Sakura couldn't even summon the energy to blush. "No. They're… They're in my room."

Pein simply nodded and took his ripped cloak off. He threw it near the edge of the bath and turned around. Sakura looked down at the cloak, then back up to the Akatsuki leader.

Something wasn't right here.

She slowly grabbed her towel and stepped out of the spring. At the sound of shifting water, Pein visibly tensed. Yet, Sakura still didn't blush. After drying, she noticed that some of her hair had gotten wet when she ducked into the water. She wrapped the towel and her hair and pulled Pein's torn cloak tightly around her body. Half of the trail was gone, so one of her legs was visible up to her mid-thigh. Seeing as it couldn't be zipped up in its current state, Sakura removed the towel from her head and ripped a long strip of cloth from it. She used that to tie the cloak shut around her waist. She ran a hand through her short hair and sighed.

When she looked back up to Pein's figure, she noticed a deep red splotch on his side. Worry instantly crossed her mind. "You were injured?"

Pein jumped suddenly at the sound of her voice, and he hesitated before nodding slightly.

He still didn't face her.

Sakura sighed heavily and walked over to him, bits of the long cloak trailing behind her. "Show me." She set a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to turn him around, but he made no motion to move. Sakura felt her annoyance tick. "Pein, turn around. If you let the blood dry on your shirt, you realize how back that's gonna hurt peeling it off?"

In one swift movement, he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it a few feet away. Sakura glanced over at it.

Great... It was getting her nice white tile floor all bloody.

She looked back at Pein, who still didn't turn to face her. "Pein, why won't you look at me?" She slapped him lightly on the back of his head, which he continued to ignore. With a growl of frustration, Sakura used both hands to grab on one shoulder, and spun him around with a hard pull. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

He looked at her.

_Boy_, did he look at her.

Gray met green.

Sakura couldn't blink.

His eyes, which held the Rinnegan, held so much more than just a kekkei genkai. There was something in them that she couldn't quite place. The look her gave her was… _depressed_. If she didn't know any better, she thought he would start crying right then and there. "Pein…"

He closed his eyes and bent his head down. "I thought you wanted to heal something."

Sakura didn't know what looked more painful, his injury or the look in his eyes.

She looked down to observe the deep gash in his side. It looked like it was slashed open by a tiger, for it had several claw marks through it. "What did this?"

He looked down to his side, as if seeing it for the first time. "I don't know. I didn't…" he paused to inhale quietly, "…didn't see."

Finally having enough of this, Sakura grabbed hold of his chin and tilted it up so his eyes met hers again. "Tell me, Pein." She gripped a little harder than necessary. "Tell me what's going on with you."

A flicker of annoyance flashed through his eyes. "Let me go."

"Not until you tell me what the hell is up with you."

"It's not something I can just talk about, okay?" he swatted her hand away with his own. "I'm not one of you goody-goody leaf-nin. I don't do this _feeling_ shit." He glared at her, but for some reason, Sakura could see that it didn't really touch his eyes. He was annoyed, yes, but he wasn't as angry as he tried to appear.

"Pein…" she softened her voice so as to not irritate him.

He turned his head, not looking her in the eyes.

Sakura sighed and went back to work.

It was deathly quiet for twenty or so minutes- and for Sakura, this was _way_ too long. She looked up every now and again to look at Pein's face. Within a few minutes, his angry looked was replaced with that depressed look again. After five more minutes, the injury was almost completely healed. She leaned back away from him, observing her work. "It will be sore for a few days," she said, "so don't strain it. It needs time to heal naturally."

He didn't acknowledge that she had said anything.

Sakura leaned up against the wall so that she could get a good look at his face.

"I don't know what it is I've done to make you hate me." Pein visibly tensed when she said that, and turned his head to look at her. When he didn't say anything, Sakura took this as a sign to continue. "Well, sure, Konoha-nin just broke into your base to get me _and_ you were injured in the progress, but you never seemed like the type to hold a grudge for something like that." She looked him in the eyes again. He still held that pained expression, yet he wouldn't say anything. With another sigh, she spoke again. "But I don't hate you, Pein. Believe it or not, I actually trust you. You've saved my life before, and I haven't forgotten that. I never forget a favor." She reached out to grab one of his hands, which was surprisingly cold. "I don't really know what to say to you." She traced her thumb lazily on the back of his hand.

"I just…" she searched for a word, and grew frustrated when she couldn't find one. "I just need you to tell me what you're thinking!"

She dropped her head and looked at the ground, fighting off the churning in her stomach.

She froze when she felt the cold hand within her own move. When he pulled it back, she didn't know what to think.

She felt tired.

She felt defeated.

That hand cold hand placed itself under her chin, and tilted it up. A little surprised, she looked up with little hesitation.

"I don't hate you."

Her eyes grew wide as he leaned in to place a soft, chaste kiss on her lips.

* * *

Tada~! Cliffy :D

I'm sorry. I had to do that. This is also a little late… sorry about that. I had major writer's block for this chapter. This is to make up for the lack of PeinSaku in previous chapters. After all, this is a PEINSAKU story. Sorry… I love Deidara, Tobi, Kisame, Itachi, and Hidan, but I was going through a PeinSaku phase when I started this story (: and that is how I'll finish it!

By the way, people have been asking about the whole Tobi and Madara thing.

THERE IS NO MADARA IN THIS STORY. No Obito, either.

Tobi is just Tobi.

Deal with it ;)

And thank thank thank thank _thank_ you for the reviews! I wouldn't have written this chapter without them! Your encouragement is greatly appreciated! (:

And for those who either favorited or subscribed to this story...

i know you did it. i get an email every time one of you subscribe or favorite me ;) that means i know when you don't leave me a review! Let's fix that, shall we?

Bye~ see you in chapter 17 (:


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys. Sorry it's been soooo long. To be honest, I was really debating giving up on this story. I actually thought about offering it up for another author to take care of, because I just didn't want it to remain unfinished. So much time had passed, and I really began analyzing my own work. I was embarrassed by how innocent and friendly I'd portrayed the evil Akatsuki as. Honestly… I don't think they would sit down at the dinner table and have dinner together.

But regardless of my own thoughts, over a year later, I'm still getting reviews for this baby. So I thought, why not? Y'all have been asking for an update, so here it is. I started this, so I might as well end it. Reviews are seriously what's keeping this going, if I didn't get constant updates in my email, I never would've made the time to write this.

But enough of my chatter and excuses... Here is Chapter 17 of New Recruit.

* * *

Sakura Haruno was a strong woman. She could stare death in the eye and not think twice before challenging it. She could stand up for those weaker than her and put her own neck out without a second thought. Hell, she took out Sasori of Akatsuki, one of the strongest shinobi of their time. But there was one thing that _did_ scare her.

And that was the way Pein was kissing her.

It was gentle… unhurried. And it tore at Sakura's compassionate heart at how _real_ it felt. She didn't kiss back. It still didn't seem like it was really happening to her. When the Akatsuki leader lifted his hand to gently cup her cheek, she lost it.

She pushed him. Hard.

He seemed startled at first, and he stared at her in slight confusion. Part of him knew why she had pushed away, and he expected as much. But deep inside… he hoped that she wouldn't. He didn't say anything to her as she got up from her spot against the wall and walked across the room. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth, like there was a bad taste there or she regretted what had happened.

Pein looked down to his knees and waited.

Sakura slumped down on the opposite side of the room, facing the wall. Her mind was racing with thoughts she couldn't slow down enough to understand.

What the _hell_ just happened?

They sat in silence for another ten minutes, both not wanting to be the one to break the awkward silence. Pein had taken a gamble, and he knew that.

And he also began to realize that he had lost.

It wasn't long before there was a knock at her door. Sakura immediately jumped up and stared as the door slowly opened, the person there not wanting to startle them. The cautious figure was Deidara, and the medic silently sighed in relief that he was here.

The bomb expert immediately knew that something was off, for he glanced between the two a couple times before speaking. "They're gone, yeah." He saw the undisguised dread on Sakura's face, and he quickly elaborated. "Most of them retreated," he said, fumbling over his words. "Though some of them weren't so lucky…"

Sakura let her head drop. Someone that she most likely had known was lying dead somewhere nearby. She had sat here, hiding in her luxurious bathroom, while they fought for her freedom. Here she was, letting the mastermind behind all of her pain _kiss_ her while the others clashed with the most notorious missing-nin in the world. For _her_. She couldn't believe her own ignorance, and tears threatened to fall.

She couldn't breathe for the second time that day.

Sakura stalked towards the door, brushing past Deidara rather harshly, hitting his shoulder as she went. He seemed surprised at her attitude, but he guessed he couldn't blame her. She was very obviously upset, so he let it go.

Sakura barely managed to find her voice, and when she did, it cracked. "Will you leave? I need to get dressed." She was standing by her bed, head down and back towards them.

Completely shut out.

Deidara frowned, and then looked at Pein. The leader simply stood, and walked out. Deidara got out of the way this time, suddenly aware that something was eating _him_ as well. Pein left without a word, and he stood there in silence with young woman.

"Sakura…" he started, not knowing how to handle a situation like this. "You know that, um… if you need anyone to talk to…" Sakura slowly turned around to face him. Deidara was looking at the ground, obviously uncomfortable. He shifted his feet, and looked uncertainly into her eyes. The look there very nearly sent her over the edge. "I'm here if you need me, yeah."

She whipped her head back around, not wanting him to see the tears that brimmed at her eyes.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. She wasn't supposed to talk about her feelings with the enemy. She wasn't supposed to _want_ to open up to him. She wasn't supposed to make them omelets or listen to the stories from their childhood. But she had.

And now she was paying the price for it.

"I don't think…" Sakura started, physically pained that she had to turn down his offer. Deidara clearly didn't trust many people, and didn't open up to hardly anyone. She hated giving him a reason to think that way, and she hated even more how guilty it made her feel. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

It was silent for a moment.

She heard him move, and her shoulders were shaking by the time he reached her door.

"Sakura…" he turned back to look at her. She was a wreck, and whatever was bothering her was clearly a serious issue. He frowned again, wondering why it made him so… anxious. "The offer still stands… if you change your mind, that is." He found himself struggling for words, and it frustrated him. When had he ever become so flustered over one person? "You know, while you're here, under this roof… you're not our enemy, Sakura."

The girl turned around to look him in the eyes again, disbelief clearly written there. Deidara tried hard not to look too worried that tears were freely sliding down her cheeks now, but he knew that she would notice. He didn't really mind if she knew he cared, though.

He continued- blue eyes still locked hard on her green ones. "I wish you could see that you have friends here, regardless of alliance."

With that, he left, closing the door quietly behind him.

What was left of Sakura's hard will broke.

She crumbled to the ground, put her head in her hands, and sobbed.

* * *

It was two days before Sakura left her room again. Nobody had bothered her during that time, and only the dire need for food had forced her out.

She bathed, dressed into her black shorts and tank, and walked as silently as she could down the residential hallway. She couldn't feel any nearby chakra presences, so she continued down the stairs and into the kitchen. Nobody was there, and she sighed audibly with relief. She rummaged through the cabinets as fast as she could, deciding on two bags of beef jerky and a bagel. She took her findings and sprinted back up the stairs and into her room.

By noon, she was growing bored, and her recent depression had her exhausted beyond belief. She was out of food, so that activity was out. She looked at the few books on her shelf with disgust, having read them too many times for them to be entertaining. She had already taken a bath, and soaking too much would be bad for her skin. She wasn't physically tired, so sleeping was out as well.

Sakura groaned, and her mind went back to everything that had happened. In her two days of isolation, she had established a few things.

One: she had to get Naruto out of this place, and fast. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed that they wouldn't extract the Kyuubi from him. Pein was obviously lying to her when he said they wouldn't, and she grew frustrated with herself when she took it personally. She knew that he would do anything to achieve his maniacal goal. So she decided to think of herself as an undercover agent, waiting for the opportunity to strike. When that opportunity arose, she would take Naruto and leave without looking back.

Two: not all of the Akatsuki members were bad people.

Hidan was a tortured soul, who covered it up with a bad boy exterior. He was a nice guy, but hated when he was portrayed that way. She found him easy to talk to, and she wanted him to be able to turn to her when he needed to. He was a friend. He was still insane, regardless, but what shinobi wasn't?

Tobi was… she couldn't even describe him. His child-like demeanor disturbed her to no end, and the bona fide pleasantness he emanated simply made her smile. He was sweet, like a kid brother, and she found herself wanting to protect him.

Deidara was a great guy, and he was highly intellectual and fun to be around. He could easily send butterflies into her stomach with his trademark smirks, but other than that, they were very strictly friends.

Kisame was a riot and Konan was a sweetheart, but Itachi was a bit on the cold side, and she was pretty sure Zetsu wanted to eat her. She didn't know the first thing about Kakuzu, but she knew he gave her the creeps.

And Pein…

Sakura shut her eyes and fell to the bed, not wanting to think about her recent encounter with the man. She grimaced, realizing that she had come to her third and final realization.

She was attracted to the leader of Akatsuki both physically and emotionally.

Saying it in her head calmed her a little. At least she finally understood her feelings and wasn't denying them anymore. That never seemed to go over well, so she finally decided to just acknowledge them.

It was another question answered, but it raised so many more that she didn't feel like dealing with at the moment.

A knock on her door pulled her out of her stupor, and a flare of chakra let her know that it was Hidan. She cocked her head to the side, wondering what he would want with her. Hadn't he heard that she was an emotionally unstable wreck and that no one should talk to her? (She was certain that's what Deidara and Pein were telling everyone, and that's why they hadn't bothered her.)

She opened her door to reveal the silver-haired Jashinist, who grinned at her upon her appearance. He wasted no time in grabbing her wrist and pulling her out into the hall.

"I don't care if you feel like shit and want to kill us all," he said, smiling the whole time. "I told you before that I had something to show you, so damn right I'm gonna' show you."

She stumbled after him, calling out to him and demanding that he slow down. Their walk didn't last long, and he stopped outside his door. He opened it with a hand sign, and pulled her into the room. His room was much like hers, but it smelled like metal, weapon polish, and… was that hair gel?

After he resealed his door, he looked at her again. He grinned, satisfied that she was finally talking to someone… even if she was talking rather loud.

"Damn it, Hidan! I can walk on my own! I don't need to be dragged around like a fucking pet!" She glared daggers at him, but he didn't seem put off by it.

"Language, pinky."

Her glare disappeared completely then, and she even found herself giggling at the irony of his comment. She sighed, brushing off her previous anger with a wave of her hand. "Okay, now that you have me here, what is it you wanted to show me?"

He smiled again, as if he remembered why she was here. He walked over to his shelf and grabbed a scroll, then walked back over to her with it. "I've had this thing for ages," he said. "I have no idea what it means. Fucking complicated shit. All I know that it's a medical jutsu."

Sakura's interest was instantly perked, and she snatched the scroll out of his hand when he held it out to her. She opened it slowly, not wanting to rip the paper. Sakura was silent for a minute or two, reading over what it said. Hidan waited patiently, which surprised the medic, but she didn't let it show. A smile overcame her lips when she realized exactly what this was.

"It's definitely a medic jutsu, and by the looks of it, and pretty high level one, too." She paused, rereading a part of it. "It allows the user to create a perfect replication: a clone with the exact chakra level of the user. The clone has some sort of disability, which makes it useful for only medic jutsu… but I suppose if you knew some kind of absorption jutsu, you could just replenish your own chakra from the clone. It doesn't say anything about a usage limit…" she trailed off, eyes widening in realization.

Hidan was catching on, too. "A justu that doesn't take use up any of your chakra…"

Sakura's smile stretched into a full blown grin. "Hidan, I believe you've found the source to unlimited chakra." She shook her head. "Do you have any idea how rare this is? Anyone would kill for something like _unlimited_ _chakra_." She giggled, ecstatic that she could find something like this.

His grin fell into a small smile. "I guess. But there's no way I'd be able to master something like that." He looked at Sakura expectantly. "This seems like something you could do, though. I don't have nearly enough chakra control for something that complicated."

She stared blankly at him for a minute. "What are you saying?"

He shrugged. "You should keep it. It's not like I'll ever use it."

"Are you _kidding_?" Sakura's jaw dropped. "Do you know how much this could sell for? You'd be set for life!"

Hidan snorted, giving her a slightly offended look. "My religion frowns upon materialism."

Sakura could only stare, wide-eyed and disbelieving. "I mean," she started. "If you really don't want it…"

He smiled at her. "I don't. Go ahead."

Sakura smiled back. She thanked him eagerly, eyes still reading over the jutsu hand signs again and again.

If she wasn't an S-ranked kunoichi already, she definitely would be by sometime next week.


End file.
